Bolivia: Government Sues Newspaper, Accuses Journalists of Espionage

EspañolThe Bolivian newspaper La Razón revealed on Thursday that its director, Claudia Benavente, and journalist Ricardo Aguilar received a citation for “public order offenses” from prosecutor Facundo Coronel.

The Solicitor General of Bolivia, Héctor Arce, filed a complaint on April 22, charging the journalists with “espionage” and “revealing secrets” about a legal case Bolivia’s government is pursuing against Chile before the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) to regain access to the sea. The landlocked country lost territories along the Pacific coast to Chile after a four-year war in 1879.

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The complaint stems from an article written by Aguilar titled, “How the Idea of ‘Unilateral Action’ Triumphed in Bolivia’s Sea Access Claims.” The article presented details of the lawsuit initially filed against Chile in 2013. La Razón published the article two days before President Evo Morales personally presented legal documents in support of his country’s case before the ICJ in April 2014.

The Solicitor General has demanded a judge order the newspaper to reveal the article’s sources.

Source: BBC Mundo.