Mexican authorities have suspended screenings of “Presumed Guilty,” a popular documentary highlighting flaws in the justice system, due to an appeal from a featured witness.

Distributor Cinepolis was instructed to temporarily suspend the movie, deputy Interior Secretary Hector Villarreal told Milenio television.

But the Interior Ministry has also lodged an appeal to keep the film in theaters. A decision is due Tuesday.

A judge sought the suspension last week at the request of the film’s main witness, who said he had not given permission to be filmed and that the screenings had affected his private life.

Cinepolis announced it would suspend the film from Monday along with other theaters, while also vowing to “exhaust available legal means” to return the documentary to Mexican screens.

The bid to suspend the film has raised the ire of politicians, rights groups and the film industry, amid accusations of censorship.
Hundreds of thousands of people have seen “Presumed Guilty” since its Mexican release on February 18, making it the most successful documentary ever screened here, following a string of international awards.

The film, by lawyers Roberto Hernandez and Layda Negrete, documents the retrial of street vendor Antonio Zuniga, who was serving a 20-year sentence for a murder he did not commit.

It provides a rare peek into Mexico’s closed court system, where trials mainly take place on paper and the accused have to prove their innocence.

Source: neglectedwar.com