Press Council: La Liberté did not violate privacy and victim protection
La Liberté reported on the sexual abuse of two nephews by an uncle. The perpetrator is said to be an 80-year-old patriarch from high society who lives in Freiburg. Do these details make it possible to identify the perpetrator and the victims? Two private citizens claim this in a complaint to the Press Council and view it as a violation of privacy.
The complainants are also bothered by the fact that the report gives details of the sexual abuse. The Press Council rejected the complaint. In its opinion, the details of the sexual abuse are necessary in order to convey to the readership what the perpetrator did to his victims. The reference to the social status of the perpetrator also indicated that sexual abuse occurs in all social classes. The information contained in the newspaper article would hardly have made it possible for third parties outside the immediate environment of the victims to recognize the perpetrator and/or victim. In cases of sexual abuse, victim protection is of great importance. However, it is also important to point out its consequences. Therefore, indecent, hurtful descriptions also have their place in such reports.
