A Chilean court has sentenced a former judge and a retired military general to five years in prison for illegally authorizing the surveillance of investigative journalist Mauricio Weibel, marking a significant victory for press freedom and accountability in Latin America.
The case stems from Weibel’s groundbreaking investigations into corruption within Chile’s armed forces. In 2015, the newspaper The Clinic published his investigation, “Milicogate: The Great Theft from the Copper Reserve Fund,” which exposed the misuse of military funds. He later expanded the investigation in his 2016 book, “Treason against Homeland,” bringing further public attention to one of Chile’s largest military corruption scandals.
In 2017, former judge Juan Poblete and retired General Shafik Nazal unlawfully authorized the interception of Weibel’s communications. To justify the surveillance, authorities falsely claimed that the journalist’s phone number belonged to a Bolivian national suspected of acting as a foreign intelligence agent. The operation was later exposed as an abuse of judicial and military powers aimed at monitoring a journalist investigating corruption.
The Seventh Preliminary Hearing Court of Santiago found both officials guilty, emphasizing Chile’s obligation under international human rights standards to investigate and punish attacks against journalists and human rights defenders. In its ruling, the court rejected arguments that the case should be dismissed under the statute of limitations, a legal defense frequently invoked in cases involving abuses committed by state officials. The verdict is final, cannot be appealed, and permanently strips both defendants of their political rights.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomed the ruling, describing it as an important precedent in the fight against impunity for unlawful surveillance targeting journalists. The organization noted that similar cases of government spying have been documented in several countries across the region, including Mexico and El Salvador, where journalists have been subjected to invasive surveillance because of their reporting.
At Free Press Alliance, we welcome this landmark ruling as an important step toward accountability for abuses committed against journalists. The illegal surveillance of reporters represents a serious violation of press freedom, source confidentiality, and the public’s right to access independent information. We call on governments worldwide to ensure that those responsible for unlawful spying on journalists are held accountable and that legal safeguards are strengthened to prevent the misuse of surveillance powers against the press.
This decision sends a powerful message that state institutions cannot use judicial or security mechanisms to silence investigative journalism without consequences. As surveillance technologies become increasingly sophisticated, ensuring accountability for their misuse is essential to protecting journalists, preserving democratic oversight, and defending the fundamental right to freedom of expression.