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High Court to Determine if Social Media Star Can Post Video Affirming Biblical Marriage

Screenshot from Erika Nieto’s YouTube

High Court to Determine if Social Media Star Can Post Video Affirming Biblical Marriage

By Movieguide® Staff

After social media star Erika “Kika” Nieto came under fire for expressing her views on marriage to her YouTube audience of nearly 8 million, the Colombian Constitutional Court announced that they would review the case and consider overturning the original national court ruling, which forced Nieto to take down the video.

Movieguide® previously reported:

Erika “Kika” Nieto posted the disputed video to her YouTube channel, where she is just shy of 8 million subscribers. However, the national Court demanded that Nieto remove the video after an activist reportedly complained.

Nieto called on her followers to help overturn the ruling.

“Everyone should be free to share their beliefs in public. I want to be authentic with my followers without being censored or fearing criminal sanctions just for posting a video,” Nieto said in a statement that was published by Alliance Defending Freedom International.

“I don’t want others to be afraid to voice their beliefs. By speaking out, I hope to inspire more tolerance of different opinions,” Nieto said.

In the deleted video, Nieto responds to a question during her “Ask Me Anything” segment: “God created man and woman so that they could be with each other.”

“I don’t consider men being with men or women being with women to be good, but I tolerate that,” she also added.

Nieto is supported by the Christian legal group ADF International.

“There are high hopes for a positive ruling affirming freedom of speech. The Court’s ruling will affect whether we are allowed to share Christian views on social media,” ADF International said in a statement.

The ADF director, Tomás Henríquez, added at the time: “Everyone should be free to express their beliefs and faith convictions without fear of censorship. Nieto’s right to freely express her views and share them publicly is protected by the Colombian Constitution. Freedom of speech, and religious freedom, are fundamental human rights guaranteed by every major human rights treaty. If someone feels offended, the best response is debate, not censorship. Ultimately, it is every one of us, and democracy itself, that suffer when people are not able to speak freely.”

The Christian Post reported:

In a previous case that arose from the same video, the Court has already ruled that Nieto’s speech on marriage is constitutionally protected. However, another activist took Nieto to Court, complaining that this same comment about marriage was offensive and discriminatory. This time, a lower court considered the video to contain “hate speech” and thus ordered its removal from YouTube, the legal group explained.