In a September 18 ruling, the Supreme Court of Justice reinstated the criminal defamation conviction of reporter Carlos Dogliani Staricco for a series of articles published in March 2004. The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Àlvaro Lamas, mayor of the western city of Paysandú. Dogliani's stories in the local weekly El Regional accused Lamas of forgiving most of a landowner's property tax debt, according to press reports and CPJ interviews. A local judge convicted Dogliani in 2004 and sentenced the reporter to five months in prison, but an appellate court overturned the verdict the following year. In its new ruling, the Supreme Court found that the right to a person's honor limits the media's right to inform, and that criminal defamation laws are intended to restrict freedom of expression. The court also asserted that the factual basis of the coverage was not a relevant defense, and that even accurate reporting can constitute defamation. The Uruguayan Press Association said it would take the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

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