Begoña Gómez testifies under heavy security in Spain

A viral tweet claims that Begoña Gómez arrived to testify protected by bodyguards to prevent any images being captured of her sitting in the dock on corruption charges. The message credits Libertad Digital with obtaining an image and calls for it to be spread until 29N.

The publication of a tweet has peine the debate over how the media cover court proceedings involving people linked to the Spanish Government. The message, posted on the social network X, claims that **Begoña Gómez** arrived to testify surrounded by bodyguards with the aim of preventing any image from being captured of her sitting in the dock on corruption charges. The text credits **Libertad Digital** with obtaining that image and urges people to share it «every day until 29N».

## The role of bodyguards in court coverage

The presence of bodyguards when people linked to senior officials travel is not unusual, but the message denounces their use to hinder photographers' work at the entrance to court buildings. The post gives no details about the security detail or whether there was an explicit instruction to avoid the cameras. It merely notes that the witness arrived under protection and that, despite this, one outlet managed to get an image.

## Libertad Digital and the spread of the image

The tweet explicitly congratulates **Libertad Digital** for obtaining the photograph and asks that it be shared persistently until the date it mentions, **29N**. That date coincides with Spain's general election, according to the official calendar. The message does not clarify whether the image was taken inside the courthouse or in its surroundings, nor whether publishing it has legal implications.

## A debate that goes beyond this specific case

What is at stake is not just a photograph. It is the tension between the right to information and the protection of the privacy of people who appear before the courts. Spanish law allows images to be captured in public spaces, but restricts their distribution when they affect honour or one's own image. In incivil proceedings, photographic coverage of court appearances has produced mixed rulings. The tweet does not go into those nuances: it frames the matter as an informational victory against an attempt at concealment.