In Uruguay, Senate approves new press bill

In response to the approval yesterday by the Uruguayan Senate of a bill that repeals criminal defamation on issues of public interest involving officials, and eliminates a disrespect provision, we issued the following statement today...

"This is a crucial step forward in the campaign to decriminalize defamation in Latin America," said Carlos Lauría, CPJ's senior Americas program coordinator. "We call on the Chamber of Deputies to follow the lead of the Senate and pass the new press bill to ensure that journalists can work without fear of prosecution."

December 17, 2008 12:10 PM ET | Permalink