The Fourth Guarantee Court of Santiago and the Court of Appeals rejected prosecutor Paulina Díaz's request to access calls, data, contacts, and geolocation from the cellphones of 11 journalists. This decision is seen as a win for press freedom in Chile. The director of the School of Journalism at Universidad Finis Terrae describes it as essential protection for democracy.
In a recent ruling, the Fourth Guarantee Court of Santiago and the Court of Appeals firmly denied the request filed by prosecutor Paulina Díaz. The petition sought access to calls, data, contacts, and geolocation from the cellphones of 11 journalists, raising concerns in the journalistic community.
Alberto Pedro López-Hermida, director of the School of Journalism at Universidad Finis Terrae, wrote in a letter to the editor of La Tercera: "It is good news that the Fourth Guarantee Court of Santiago and the Court of Appeals denied with conviction the request by prosecutor Paulina Díaz to access calls, data, contacts, and geolocation from the cellphones of 11 journalists."
López-Hermida stressed that democracy rests on three pillars: citizenship, politics, and the press. "Whenever any of these three vertices is attacked, democracy itself is at stake," he argued, citing examples of authoritarian governments that seek to undermine these elements. The prosecutor's request represents, according to him, a threat to journalistic practice and shows ignorance of the legal and ethical framework that protects it, applicable in any democratic nation.
Those who train journalists express concern over attempts to muzzle the press, but this judicial decision provides relief by halting a direct threat to democracy. The context highlights the importance of safeguarding journalistic independence to maintain democratic balance in Chile.