Guatemala Free Press-Justice for Raul Figueroa Sarti

Letter from Facebook Photographers Group

figueroafreepress — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:05:34 +0000

PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR JUSTICE

We, the undersigned photographers, hereby protest the unjust arrest and conviction of Raúl Figueroa Sarti.

On August 6th, 2009, this prestigious Guatemalan editor was sentenced to one year in prison for copyright violation, as the result of a complaint brought by a photographer for the allegedly-unauthorized publication of a photograph on the cover of a novel.

The court reached this sentence despite the complainant’s own testimony that he lied under oath about the essentials of his claim, and despite there being no precedent in Guatemalan case law for a conviction and sentence of this nature.

As photographers working in Guatemala and abroad, we support photographers’ rights and the protection of copyright. Our livelihoods depend on our right to just compensation for our work, and access to legal recourse when compensation is denied. But we also support Raul Figueroa Sarti.

We, the undersigned photographers, therefore respectfully submit the following:

Whereas the sentencing of Figueroa Sarti to one year in prison far exceeds the bounds of reasonable compensation in a case of this nature;

Whereas the complaining photographer’s actions in bringing this unjust claim diminish the reputation and professionalism of photographers in Guatemala and abroad;

Whereas unjust application of copyright law threatens the integrity of the legal system that we all depend on, and is therefore a threat to all of us;

And whereas the prosecution of Figueroa Sarti under these circumstances undermines freedom of expression for all in Guatemala – photographers, authors, publishers, and citizens;

We urge Guatemala’s Attorney General to support Figueroa’s appeal against his conviction. We furthermore urge the Public Prosecutor to vacate the conviction against Raúl Figueroa Sarti, and seek a judgment of acquittal.

Signed,

(150 photographers)

New Column in Huffington Post

figueroafreepress — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:59:03 +0000

Daring Guatemalan Publisher Convicted on Trumped-Up Charge

“A courageous Guatemalan publisher risks spending a year in jail for printing a photograph of a dog – such a trivial, dubious charge that it seems meant to interfere with his work of printing pathbreaking books.” Read the rest in Huffington Post.

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF OPINION AND EXPRESSION

figueroafreepress — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:11:53 +0000

PRESS RELEASE

Violation of the right to freedom of expression in the case of Mr. Raúl Figueroa Sarti

The conviction handed down by the Seventh Court of Criminal Jurisdiction against Mr. Raul Figueroa Sarti in the proceedings initiated by the Court’s Official Mardo Escobar and the Prosecutor’s Office for Violation of Intellectual Property Rights, is clearly a violation Mr. Figueroa Sarti’s right to freedom of expression, and it also significantly limits the activities of F&G Editores.

The fact, a relatively insignificant one, is the use of a photograph owned by Mr. Escobar and used for the cover of a book and published by the aforementioned publishing house. This act is allegedly a copyright violation. Although Mr. Escobar already testified in the proceedings that he verbally authorized Mr. Figueroa Sarti to use the aforementioned photograph, and for this reason, the accusation is groundless. Mr. Escobar initiated a civil action suit that was later disregarded. Thus the decision on the part of the public prosecutor and the Seventh Court of Criminal Jurisdiction to take this groundless case so seriously is incomprehensible.

It is surprising that such a groundless case occasions so much activity and human resources from the public prosecutor and the Seventh Court of Criminal Jurisdiction when at the same time, so many violent cases end in impunity. The only conclusion we can draw is that the photograph is an excuse, and this criminal proceeding is in fact a mechanism of intimidation against a publishing house that has maintained a critical publishing trajectory and has published materials about human rights violations. Consequently, this intimidation constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of expression on the part of the Guatemalan Government, and in particular is a violation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of which Guatemala is a signatory.

One of the fundamental principles of the freedom of expression is to eliminate, or minimize the use of criminal law to restrict or to sanction forms of expression. This is because such criminal law mechanisms can be easily utilized by the state as a form of censorship or persecution of opinions, or to affect economic interests.

By virtue of the aforementioned, we respectfully request that the Guatemala government address this situation, and, in particular, we request that the Court of Appeals, which will evaluate the case, expose the irregularities in the proceedings in order to address them, since they represent a bad precedent for the country in the matter of human rights and freedom of expression.

To Mr. Figueroa Sarti and the staff in F&G Editores, we recognize and support their struggle as victims and as human rights defenders.

Finally, this Rapporteur urges the Guatemalan government, its Justice System, and the entire population to reflect upon these facts, to uncover the true motives for these actions, and to refuse to sanction the use of criminal action as a form of intimidation and censorship.

RELATORIA ESPECIAL SOBRE EL DERECHO A LA LIBERTAD DE OPINION Y EXPRESION DEL CONSEJO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS DE NACIONES UNIDAS

figueroafreepress — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:08:03 +0000

COMUNICADO DE PRENSA

Violación al derecho de libertad de expresión en el caso del Sr. Raúl Figueroa Sarti

La sentencia condenatoria que emitió el Juzgado Séptimo de Sentencia Penal contra el Señor Raúl Figueroa Sarti en el proceso seguido por el Oficial de Tribunales Mardo Escobar y por el Ministerio Público por el delito de Violación a la Propiedad Intelectual, es claramente una violación a la libertad de expresión del Sr. Figueroa Sarti, con el cual también se limitan las actividades de la Editorial F&G.

El hecho mismo, relativamente insignificante lo constituye la utilización de una fotografía del Señor Escobar para la portada de un libro publicado por la mencionada Editorial, con lo cual supuestamente se violaban los derechos de autor. Sin embargo, consta en el expediente del caso, el testimonio del Señor Escobar, en el cual él mismo manifiesta haber autorizado de palabra al Señor Figueroa Sarti la utilización de dicha fotografía, por lo que la denuncia misma no tiene razón de ser. Además el Señor Escobar inició una acción de carácter civil que fue desestimada, por lo que no se comprende, por qué razón el Ministerio Público y el Tribunal Séptimo de Sentencia Penal le dieron tanta relevancia al hecho.

Sorprende que en un caso sin mayor fundamento, el Ministerio Público y el Tribunal de Séptimo de Sentencia Penal desplieguen tanta actividad y recursos humanos cuando existen muchos casos de violencia que quedan en la impunidad. La única conclusión a la que se puede arribar, es que el tema de la fotografía es una excusa y este proceso penal es realmente un mecanismo de intimidación contra una editorial que ha mantenido una trayectoria crítica y que ha realizado publicaciones sobre violaciones a los derechos humanos. Por consiguiente, esta intimidación constituye una violación al derecho a la libertad de expresión por parte del Estado de Guatemala en particular del artículo 19 de la Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos y los Artículos 19 y 20 del Pacto Internacional sobre de Derechos Civiles y Políticos del cual Guatemala es parte.

Uno de los principios fundamentales de la libertad de expresión, es el de eliminar o reducir al mínimo la utilización del Derecho Penal para restringir o sancionar formas indebidas de expresión, en virtud que el mecanismo penal puede fácilmente ser utilizado por parte del Estado como una forma de censura o de persecución por las opiniones o por afectar intereses económicos.

En virtud de lo anterior, respetuosamente solicitamos al Estado de Guatemala corregir esta situación, y en particular a la Sala de Apelaciones que conocerá del caso, que ponga al descubierto los vicios del procedimiento para corregirlos, pues constituyen un mal precedente para el país en materia de derechos humanos y libertad de expresión.

Al Señor Figueroa Sarti y al Personal de la Editorial F&G, manifestamos nuestro reconocimiento y apoyo en su lucha como víctimas y como defensores de derechos humanos.

Finalmente, esta Relatoría insta al Estado de Guatemala, a su Sistema de Justicia y a toda la población, a reflexionar sobre estos hechos, para descubrir los verdaderos móviles y no permitir la utilización de la acción penal como un acto de intimidación y censura.