Human Rights

Human Rights

In my opinion, some days ago El Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones violated the right of free expression to a catholic bishop because he said to some believers the last September don’t vote for candidates who “deny God and uphold principles that go against life, against marriage and the family.

The bishop, José Francisco Ulloa, who is from Cartago”, had to submit to be judged by the “laws of Costa Rica”.
It is true that Article 28 of the Costa Rican Constitution prohibits clerics make political propaganda, but Catholicism is the official state religion.

El tribunal Supremo de Elecciones, which in Costa Rica is an autonomous power of the state, ordered to José Francisco Ulloa “To pay costs and damages caused”.

I think that this ruling has to be able to have habeas corpus by Ulloa because the bishop was speaking to Catholics and never named a specific candidate, so this ruling is a very serious attack on freedom of expression and the principle of religious freedom.