Mexico City – A judge held over for trial on Friday a Mexican journalist accused of defamation after she wrote a book describing the networks of pedophiles and child pornographers.
Prosecutors say Lydia Cacho falsely accused a Puebla businessman in the book.
Chaco was arrested Friday in Cancun and driven 20 hours to Puebla, 65 miles (105 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City.
Several groups, including Reporters Without Borders and the Inter-American Press Association, have criticized Cacho’s arrest.
“Lydia Cacho is a recognized investigative journalist and activist on behalf of women’s and children’s rights whose work and commitment have upset some politicians and businessmen and have resulted in her receiving many death threats in the past,” Reporters Without Borders said Thursday in a statement.
Cacho, author of the book “The Demons of Eden,” will remain free on bail, but she must appear before a judge each month.
She faces charges of defamation and slander, each of which carry a sentence of between six months and four years in prison.
Also Friday, Reporters Without Borders called on federal authorities to investigate alleged threats against reporter Claudia Padilla Pacheco of Correo newspaper in the central city of Celaya.
“Padilla exposed a major ring of Guanajuato state police officers, some of whom are still at their posts despite being investigated by the state judicial authorities,” the organization said in a statement. “The threats made against her are further evidence of the corruption and impunity seriously eroding press freedom in Mexico, especially at the local level.” International press associations have raised concerns this year about freedom of expression in Mexico, where several journalists have been killed or threatened.
