A lawsuit against social media star Erika “Kika” Nieto was overturned last week after the Colombian Supreme Court ruled that she should not be censored for sharing her beliefs about marriage.
Earlier this year, Nieto was ordered to remove an online video where she stated that marriage is the union between a man and a woman, however, she will “tolerate” other perspectives.
“God created man and woman so that they could be with each other,” she said at the time. “I don’t consider men being with men or women being with women to be good, but I tolerate that.”
An activist complained about her comments, leading the national court to order the video be removed from the platform.
“No one should be censored or fear criminal sanctions for expressing their beliefs. Together with Kika, we are overjoyed that the Court has overturned this censorship ruling,” said Santiago Guevara, counsel for Nueva Democracia, an NGO that represented Nieto with the support of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International. “Kika stood strong throughout this ordeal to make the case for every one’s freedom to share their beliefs.”
Guevara added, “Although Kika is again free to share her convictions, it’s disappointing that the Court decided this case on procedural grounds and failed to address the key issue and affirm freedom of speech for every Colombian. Everyone should be free to share their beliefs in public, and the courts should protect this fundamental freedom.”
Coming up in 10 minutes: our Senior Counsel for Latin America, @jthenriquezc, will be appearing on @GBNEWS with @andrewdoyle_com to share about Youtube star @_kikanieto‘s #freespeech win after being censored for her Christian belief. Watch here: https://t.co/hkXhPxv6Uz pic.twitter.com/VLoAzpXjnp
— ADF International (@ADFIntl) November 28, 2021
In the previous case, an activist had complained that Nieto’s video was offensive and discriminatory, prompting the lower court to deem her remarks as “hate speech.”
However, the Colombian Constitutional Court ruled Nieto’s speech on marriage was constitutionally protected.
Tomás Henríquez, director of advocacy in Latin America and the Caribbean for ADF International, explained why it’s important to defend your faith despite the possibility of persecution.
“If we value a free society, protecting the right to speak freely is paramount. We must always choose debate over censorship. Ultimately, people and democracy suffer when voices are silenced.”
Ultimately, Nieto is hopeful that her case will inspire others to stand strong in their beliefs.
“Nobody should have to be afraid of censorship or criminal sanctions for voicing their deeply held beliefs,” Nieto noted. “By speaking out, I hope to encourage debate and inspire more tolerance of different views.”
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