Two Chilean journalists have faced a series of defamation complaints from public officials following their reporting on allegations of corruption and misconduct.
In the Biobío region, Governor Sergio Giacaman filed a defamation complaint against the news outlet El Ciudadano in 2024, targeting its former editor-in-chief, Josefa Barraza, and current director Javier Pineda. The lawsuit relates to a now-deleted Instagram post from November 2024 that compared Giacaman to then-candidate Alejandro Navarro and accused the governor of being “responsible for embezzlement and abuse of vulnerable children at CATIM.” Giacaman described the claims as “libel and slander.”
Pineda has rejected the accusations, stating on November 3 that he was not in charge of the outlet when the publication was made. The Concepción Guarantee Court later declared itself incompetent to continue proceedings against Barraza, though Giacaman has appealed the decision, seeking a prison sentence of up to three years for defamation.
Meanwhile, Josefa Barraza has faced multiple legal actions from politicians in recent months. She resigned from El Ciudadano in March 2024 after enduring repeated defamation complaints. On November 7, Sebastián Sichel, mayor of Ñuñoa, filed a lawsuit against Barraza following an investigation by Contra Poder, a media outlet she founded this year, into alleged corruption within his administration.
Earlier, in April 2024, former congresswoman Andrea Molina also sued Barraza for an article published in El Ciudadano, though the case was dismissed in June.
These cases highlight the growing legal pressure on investigative journalists in Chile, where defamation remains a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment.
At Free Press Alliance, we warn that such prosecutions reflect a troubling pattern of judicial harassment aimed at silencing independent reporting and discouraging scrutiny of public officials. We call for the decriminalization of defamation and stronger legal protection for journalists investigating matters of public interest.