Journalist Freitas Rangel’s conviction for statements about associations of judges and prosecutors breached the freedom of expression, ECtHR rules

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has issued its judgment in Freitas Rangel v. Portugal (application no. 78873/13), unanimously ruling that the conviction in Portugal of a famous journalist for statements made about associations of judges and prosecutors was in breach of the freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The case concerns the statements made in 2010 by a very well-known Portuguese journalist, Mr Emídio Arnaldo Freitas Rangel, at a hearing of a parliamentary committee on the topic of freedom of expression and the media in Portugal. In particular, he had linked the judiciary and the prosecution service to, among other things, interference in politics and widespread