Damian Pachter, the first journalist to report the murder of Jewish-Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman, filed a lawsuit on Friday against the Argentine national news agency Telam and the airline Aerolineas Argentinas for publicizing his flight information, including his time of departure and return, Merco Press reported.
Pachter, an Israeli citizen, flew to Tel Aviv in late January, fearing for his life, shortly after the discovery of the body of Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman.
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“I’m leaving because my life is in danger. My phones are tapped, ” Pachter told the website Infobae. The website carried a photograph of Pachter, wearing a cap and carrying sunglasses, at the airport before boarding an Aerolineas Argentinas flight.
Pachter’s attorney, Javier Teitelbaum, said the exposure increased the risk his client was facing.
“I won’t come back to Argentina during the current government, ” Pachter told the TN news channel in an interview from Israel, adding that he wasn’t sure if he’d return even after a change in government.
On Jan. 24, Telam published the details of Pachter’s Aerolineas Argentinas flight to Montevideo, Uruguay, wondering if the reporter was fleeing Argentina because he was afraid for his safety. And then the news agency also reported that his return ticket from Montevideo was for Feb. 2.
Pachter’s lawyer has already met with both companies last Friday, in a mediation attempt. The parties plan to meet again March 20, according to Merco Press.
At this point Pachter continues to fear for his life, should he dare to return home, and his attorney has filed a petition with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, asking for protection in case his client were summoned to testify in the case of Nisman’s mysterious death.
