The battle between the Argentine government and the media group Clarín grows more bitter, and bizarre, by the week.
In the latest twist, according to a court report, it was claimed that a minister, business secretary Guillermo Moreno, "violently" entered the group's headquarters.
That incident followed an appeals court victory two weeks ago by the Clarín group over the enforcement of a media law that would have dismantled the company.
The court declared key of parts of the law to be unconstitutional, an embarrassing snub to the Argentinian president, Cristina Kirchner. Her government is to appeal that decision to the supreme court.
The appeal judges said the government had not given a "reasonable explanation" as to how curbing Clarín's licences and market share would serve the public interest.
Kirchner has, says the Wall Street Journal, invested "an enormous amount of political capital into trying to undo Clarín, which she accuses of trying to bring down her government through biased reporting.
Kirchner's cabinet chief, Juan Manuel Abal Medina, once compared the appeals court to excrement.
Clarín officials have long argued the law is a ruse to silence independent media companies that publish information and opinions critical of the government.
Sources: La Nacion(in Spanish)/Wall Street Journal/Financial Times
