Journalists protest Chéry's prison sentence

Photo by Eric Jackson

Journalists and journalism students stand up for Jean Marcel Chéry

El Siglo editor Jean Marcel Chéry has been given a two-year prison sentence for trespassing back in 2002, when he was an investigative reporter for El Panama America. He reported that a rural road was built with anti-poverty funds and that the road mainly served two government officials. One of the latter was then Minister of Government and Justice Winston Spadafora, and the government road contractor's machinery was also seen working on Spadafora's farm. Chéry said that the farm caretaker opened the gate and let him in, but in this, the latest in a string of prosecutions Spadafora --- now a Supreme Court magistrate --- has brought against him, the defense was not allowed to cross examine witnesses and a notarized statement by Spadafora's employee was all there was to uphold the conviction.

So on May 6 Chéry and a crowd of his colleagues showed up in front of the Supreme Court to protest. Also weighing in with objections to the prosecution and its outcome have been a number of international journalists' and press freedom organizations.

Photo by José F. Ponce

Photo by José F. Ponce

Photo by Eric Jackson

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