Bogotá, September 14, 2026—Peruvian authorities must conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into an armed attack on the digital website La Noticia Clave, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday.
On the evening of September 10, unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle fired gunshots at the office of La Noticia Clave in the northern town of Lambayeque near the Pacific coast, according to the National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP) and the Lima-based Institute for Press and Society (IPYS).
The gunmen shot four times at the office while La Noticia Clave director Johnny Namuche and another journalist were inside the building, Namuche told CPJ in a voice message. He said the news outlet had not previously been threatened but said the attack came in the wake of a La Noticia Clave report about possible medical malpractice by a local hospital.
“This attack highlights the dangerous environment that Peruvian local media outlets face when reporting on matters of public interest against all odds,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ Latin America program coordinator, in São Paulo. “The Peruvian authorities must fight impunity by identifying and holding those responsible to account.”
In a May 2026 special report, CPJ found that the targeting of reporters by criminal groups has contributed to a steady erosion of press freedom in Peru.
CPJ’s email to the press department of the Attorney General’s office in Lima did not receive a reply.