Free-press case pair cleared 7 years later

A former Amnesty International investigator and a Portuguese journalist have been cleared of abusing press freedom, seven years after they were alleged to have defamed a senior judge over a controversial extradition case.

In Macau's Court of First Instance, senior judge Mario Jose de Oliveira Chaves yesterday acquitted Pierre Robert and journalist Severo Portela of all charges related to an article that allegedly insinuated the independence of Macau's Judiciary might have come under pressure from Beijing.

The two defendants were not in court.

Mr Justice Chaves said the accusations were unfounded and that insufficient evidence had been provided to back them up.

Pedro Redinha, who represented Mr Robert, described the acquittal as a 'good solution that we have to applaud'.

The decision of the three-judge panel came three weeks after public prosecutors had requested the acquittal.