Darbellay article in Weltwoche appears despite court ban
An article about Christophe Darbellay, a CVP member of the Valais cantonal government, appeared in the latest issue of *Weltwoche* despite a publication ban. The order from a Zurich court arrived too late for the print edition.
The controversial text by author Alex Baur and all references to it were blacked out in the electronic edition on Thursday. In Thursday's print edition, however, the article was published as normal.
When the super-provisional injunction from the Zurich district court arrived on Wednesday afternoon, the magazine had already been printed and was in the post, the Weltwoche with.
The article is about a dispute over maintenance payments. The married Darbellay had confessed to an infidelity in the run-up to the 2017 Valais cantonal elections, which resulted in a child.
The former CVP National Councillor and long-standing party president has been Valais Director of Economic Affairs and Education since 2017. The agricultural scientist from Martigny-Combe was elected to the government with the third-best result. The 48-year-old is a father of four.
The Weltwoche defends itself against the precautionary censorship. This is "not justified", said Editor-in-Chief Roger Köppel in a video accompanying the issue. The person concerned is a public figure.
On the censored front page of the electronic edition, only the words "Family policy" and "The bizarre dispute" can be read alongside the text. Instead of the text, the booklet contains a black space with the note that this publication is prohibited due to the injunction. (SDA)
