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Article: COURT REJECTS APPEAL BY POET ACCUSED OF INSULTING MEXICAN FLAG.
- Article from:
- SourceMex Economic News & Analysis on Mexico
- Article date:
- October 12, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Latin American Data Base/Latin American Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Proponents of the principle of freedom of expression in Mexico lost a major battle when the high court (Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion, SCJN) ruled that any statement considered an insult to Mexico is subject to punishment.
The controversy stems from the poem written by Sergio Hernan Witz Rodriguez, an award-winning literature professor at the Universidad Autonoma de Campeche.
In the poem "Invitacion, La Patria entre Mierda," Witz Rodriguez criticized Mexico's extreme nationalistic tendencies by disparaging the Mexican flag, which he called "a rag...that does not represent anything but three colors and an eagle" (in reference to the coat of ...