Leila Miller writes in the Los Angeles Times about a particular use of lawfare in obstructing journalists in their work uncovering corruption – the law to protect violence against women.
It was a landmark piece of legislation for Guatemala: a law that established stiff prison sentences for violence against women and appeared to signal a new era for a country still emerging from decades of civil war and military rule. Thousands of men have been prosecuted under the law since it took effect in 2008.
But in recent years, public officials have found another use for it: stopping journalists from criticizing them or investigating corruption.
Courts have issued restraining orders against reporters at news organizations here, effectively shutting down their work, after women argued that the journalists violated the law by publishing articles that subjected them to psychological violence. The Los Angeles Times found eight such examples.
You can read the full piece with links and photos, here, A Guatemalan law meant to protect women from violence is being used against journalists.
Categories: Corruption, Criminalisation, Human Rights, Impunity, Justice, Violence
Guatemala Solidarity Network 
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