Marhuenda accused in the case of the pro-consultation judges

R.m.
2 min

BarcelonaOn March 3rd Spanish newspaper La Razón published a two-page story titled "The conspiracy of the 33 pro-independence judges", reporting that a group of Catalan magistrates had signed a declaration in defense of the right to self-determination. The article included photographs of all of the judges and, for 22 of them, the picture was the one that appears on their ID card. The 22 judges filed a legal complaint for an alleged "unauthorised access to government files" of the ID database in order to use their photos. This action might constitute a crime of discovery and disclosure of secrets. Barcelona's Court number 22 has already admitted the complaint into proceedings and yesterday Francisco Marhuenda, the director of La Razón, was summoned to testify as a defendant.

Three Spanish police officers from the Information Brigade of the National Police force have already testified as witnesses before judge Juan Emilio Vilá, and admitted to having used the ID database to write a report about the magistrates, although they denied having sent it to the newspaper. The complainants requested that the initial complaint -which did not point any fingers- be modified to include the director of the newspaper because the story was printed without a byline.

The judge has agreed to this change and has called on Marhuenda to appear on 28 May to answer for possible crimes against the right to privacy and control over one's own image. Marhuenda will have to explain who leaked the photos -although he could invoke his right not to disclose his sources and the right to not declare against himself- and why he published them, if in fact he knew that this was an offence against the privacy of the claimants.

Promoted despite catalanophobic tweet

In an unrelated case, Spanish diplomat Juan Carlos Gafo, who had to resign from his position within the Marca España (Spanish Brand) project for having sent a catalanophobic tweet, has been appointed Consul General in Melbourne, Australia. Gafo appeared to have fallen in disgrace last July when, upset by the crowd's booing of the Spanish national anthem at the opening ceremony of the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, he reacted on Twitter with an insult: "Shitty Catalans, you don't deserve anything".

The message inflamed the social networks, to the point where Gafo had to apologise and step down from Marca España. The Spanish government did not open any proceedings against him and, with Gafo's resignation, regarded the case as closed, according to Europa Press. Gafo took a position in the foreign ministry. In the latest wave of appointments by Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo, the controversial diplomat was named Consul General in Melbourne, a city with some 7,800 Spanish citizens.

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