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A resident of Spain risks spending the next 2 years in prison for opening and reading a letter addressed to his 10-year-old son.
The boy’s mother filed a complaint against her ex-husband because he “illegally” used the opened letter as evidence against her in a domestic violence case.
He used the letter as evidence in the case
On Wednesday a hearing was held in the Spanish city of Seville on the violation of a child’s privacy.
The boy’s mother brought such a charge against his father, believing that he does not have the right to read his 10-year-old son’s personal correspondence.
The letter that brought the father to court was written by his maternal aunt
In the letter the woman explained to her nephew how he should testify against his father in the domestic violence case that occurred in 2012 and which was initiated by the accuser’s wife.
The Spaniard used this letter in court to prove that his ex-wife’s family had influenced his son and forced him to testify against him. As a result, the court acquitted the man of those charges, but new ones then followed.
Now the boy’s mother is seeking to have her ex-husband imprisoned for 2 years
In addition, she is seeking compensation from him through the court for violation of the privacy of private correspondence.
The woman accuses the Spaniard of having publicly disclosed information contained in the letter which he had no right to open.
The defendant’s lawyers say that the Spaniard opened the letter by mistake because he and his son share the same initials.
They also insist that even if their client acted intentionally, he had the right to do so because he is the father of the minor addressee.
Human rights activists note that opening the letter is the fulfillment of parental duties.
The public prosecutor’s office also sided with the defendant. The prosecutor asks the plaintiff’s side to agree with the lawyers’ arguments that the man was simply exercising parental responsibility over a minor.
However, the judge presiding over the case has not yet ruled on the matter.
