Peru / Americas

The Committee to Protect Journalists and four other international organizations in a joint statement called on the Peruvian Congress to reject a bill that could severely harm press freedom in the country. The bill proposes to increase the penalties for slander and defamation related to ongoing investigations into the alleged commission of crimes by officials and public servants, decreasing…

Bogotá, March 4, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Peruvian President Dina Boluarte to retract her accusations that news outlets are trying to destabilize her government, and to show greater tolerance of criticism in the media. After the Peruvian Attorney General’s office ordered the search of the home of Interior Minister Juan José Santiváñez,…

Bogotá, January 21, 2025—Peruvian authorities should swiftly and comprehensively complete their investigation into the killing of journalist Gastón Medina, determine if he was targeted for his work, and hold those responsible to account, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday.  “Peruvian authorities must conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the killing of Gáston…

Bogotá, November 12, 2024—Peruvian judicial authorities must stop harassing journalist Gustavo Gorriti and the investigative news website he founded, IDL-Reporteros, and respect the right of reporters to maintain confidential sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. In an October 25 resolution, Peru Supreme Court Judge Juan Carlos Checkley ordered the Attorney General’s office to…

São Paulo, 4 October, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office to immediately close the illicit enrichment case against investigative journalist Paola Ugaz and reverse its order to her phone company to disclose her phone records and geolocation data from 2013 to 2020. On September 26, Ugaz appealed to the court…

Bogotá, April 2, 2024 – Peruvian authorities must drop their investigation of journalist Gustavo Gorriti and respect the right of reporters to maintain confidential sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On March 27, Alcides Chinchay, a public prosecutor in the capital city of Lima, opened a preliminary investigation into Gorriti, the editor-in-chief of…

When Hugo Bustíos Saavedra was killed in 1988, Peru’s government was embroiled in conflict with leftist guerilla groups, many civil liberties had been suspended, and efforts to seek justice in the journalist’s death seemed futile. CPJ and other press freedom groups unsuccessfully tried for years to pressure Peru’s government to investigate Bustíos’ murder, including by asking…

Manuel Calloquispe has had to face an angry mob laying siege to his house. He’s been called a traitor. He’s been punched and kicked by miners and had his equipment stolen. He once had to duck for cover when someone threw a machete at him. The reason: His decade reporting on the environmental havoc caused…

Journalist Gustavo Gorriti remembers the days — just a few years ago — when people on the streets of Lima approached him to congratulate him for exposing corrupt government officials, drug trafficking mafias, and human rights abusers. A few even asked him to pose for selfies. These days, though, motorists shout insults at him from…

Bogotá, May 10, 2023 – Peruvian authorities must take seriously the recent threats made to the investigative news website IDL-Reporteros and hold those responsible for harassing the outlet to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On May 5, about 50 protesters with the right-wing political group La Resistencia gathered at IDL-Reporteros’ office in…