Peruvian columnist fined for libel

A historian who writes a newspaper column in Peru has been ordered to pay 3,000 soles (approx. £475) for defaming a government minister. It was in May 2005 that Nelson Manrique, a columnist with Perú 21, accused the minister of forging signatures during the run-up to the 2000 general election. Though initially cleared of a libel charge on the grounds that his articles were in the public interest, higher courts have declared Manrique guilty. He has launched an appeal. (Via IFEX)