The ECHR unanimously rejects an appeal by Artur Mas against 'El Mundo' for alleged violation of honor

He considers that the former president of Catalonia did not exhaust the legal channels in the Spanish courts

MADRID, 10 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has "unanimously" inadmissible the appeal filed by the former president of the Generalitat of Catalonia Artur Mas against the newspaper 'El Mundo' for alleged violation of his right to honor.

As reported this Thursday by the body based in Strasbourg, the magistrates have inadmissible the brief after considering that Mas did not exhaust the legal channels in the Spanish courts.

The case dates back to November 2012, when the aforementioned newspaper published a series of articles that, according to Mas, had damaged his reputation. Said publication took place within the framework of the electoral campaign for the presidency of the Generalitat of Catalonia. 'El Mundo' published that Mas had bank accounts abroad in which bribes would have been paid.

Spain argued before the ECHR that the former Catalan president could have filed a legal action in the Spanish courts to request a correction to the newspaper or could have initiated a special procedure to protect his right to honor and obtain compensation for the alleged damage.

Now, the court has explained that since Mas chose to use "only" the criminal law route, he deprived himself of the possibility of obtaining compensation for the alleged violation of his rights through civil proceedings.

The magistrates have stressed that, with this action, Mas limited the scope of the Spanish courts. Thus, they have concluded that the former president of the Government "could not demonstrate" that Spain offered him insufficient protection and that his rights were violated.