Anagrama indefinitely suspends Bretón's book despite judge's approval

BarcelonaAnagrama publishing house will indefinitely suspend the publication of the book. Hate, in which the author Luisgé Martín collects the letters he exchanged with José Bretón, in which he confesses to the murder of his two children, for which he is serving a prison sentence. The day after the book was scheduled to go on sale, the publisher defended its decision as "an exercise of prudence" despite the fact that the judge had ruled out arresting him. In fact, the court rejected the request of the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, which advocated that the book not be published to avoid the "serious and imminent risk of unlawful interference with the children's right to honor" and privacy.

Also this Thursday, the mother of the murdered children, Ruth Ortiz, opened a second legal avenue against Bretón and reported her for a possible breach of sentence with her statements in Hate, which the woman learned about through the media. Bretón's sentence for the murder of her children was 40 years in prison, and also included a ban on approaching or communicating "by any means" with Ortiz and her parents for 42 years.

At this point, Ortiz's complaint is in the hands of a domestic violence court in Huelva, where Ortiz lives. The Córdoba Prosecutor's Office has forwarded the complaint to the court and warned that it is "fundamental to take into account the re-victimization of the mother," who, after seeing information about the book published, "has been forced to relive" the 2011 crime. Anagrama will comply "voluntarily."

The controversy surroundingHate It broke out last week. After seeing media reports that the book included intimate details of the murder, Ortiz sought protection from the Córdoba Prosecutor's Office through the Andalusian Victim Assistance Service (SAVA). Anagrama then filed a lawsuit against the book. has already announced that it was suspending its distribution and? I would wait for the justice system's resolution.

The legal proceedings ended in Barcelona because that's where the publisher is based. On Monday, a court of first instance refused to halt publication, arguing that without knowing the entire contents of the book, it couldn't make a provisional decision without waiting for the trial. On the same day, the public prosecutor's office announced that he would tour against the ruling forcing the court to halt the book.

Therefore, the publisher had the judge's approval to release the book yesterday, Tuesday the 26th, as it had originally planned. HateHowever, it has not yet reached any bookstores. Anagrama explained this Thursday that it "voluntarily stands by its decision to respect the request for precautionary measures" sought by the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office. Therefore, it has suspended distribution of the work. sine die", the editors explain in the statement.

"No payment" in Breton

Anagrama also uses the statement to clarify that "the sole author of the work is the writer and journalist Luisgé Martín," who exchanged the letters and conducted the prison interview included in the book. The editorial also "denies that any payment has been made or is intended to be made to the man convicted for the horrific crimes committed in 2011."

Bretón murdered his children, Ruth and José, ages 6 and 2, on October 8, 2011, on a farm in Las Quemadillas, Córdoba. He did so after the children's mother informed him of her intention to separate. According to the jury that tried him, the crime was "revenge against the woman." For both crimesHe was sentenced to 40 years in prison, but he will serve a maximum sentence of 25 years, and is currently being held in the maximum security prison in Herrera de la Mancha, Ciudad Real.

"A double dose of responsibility"

In addition to the impact on children's rights, the public prosecutor's arguments for halting the book are also based on Anagrama's failure to seek the mother's consent—a necessary step for a publication that discloses the identity of a minor—nor the approval of the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, which is required if the publication is needed. In Thursday's statement, the publisher responds by showing "the absolute respect that Ruth Ortiz deserves" and says it "regrets the pain that the information disclosed about the publication and distribution of the book may have caused her."

The legal proceedings that have been opened following this publication will have to confront the right to freedom of expression, information, and creative freedom with the right to honor and privacy of children, who in this case are also the victims. Regarding this debate, Anagrama's statement notes that "in a democratic society, there must be a balance between creative freedom and the protection of victims." Regarding their decision to pause publication, the editors add: "Works that are inspired by real events, as is the case withHate, require a double dose of responsibility and respect. Therefore, in an exercise of prudence and voluntarily, the publisher has decided to maintain the suspension of distribution of the work indefinitely.