Attacks on the Press in 2005 - Snapshots: Chile
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | February 2006 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Attacks on the Press in 2005 - Snapshots: Chile, February 2006, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/47c56723c.html [accessed 2 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Paola Briceño Verdina, a reporter for Radio Bío-Bío, was detained and beaten by police after covering a student protest in Santiago on May 4. A police agent approached Briceño Verdina shortly after she aired a report on the demonstration, which included clashes between students and police. Although Briceño Verdina identified herself as a reporter and showed her press credential, she was taken to a police vehicle and beaten with a baton on the arms and legs. She was jailed briefly before a commanding officer intervened and ordered her release.
After three years of delay, Congress and President Ricardo Lagos enacted a measure in August that eliminated desacato (disrespect) provisions in the penal code and the code of military justice. Articles 263, 265, and 268 of the penal code were repealed. Article 264 of the penal code redefined attacks on public officials to exclude insulting language. Article 276 of the code of military justice, which defined the offense of "improper sedition" in broad terms, was recast to prohibit any action that "induces or incites military personnel to disorder, indiscipline, or nonfulfillment of military duties."
