Supporters of Peruvian President Pedro Castillo assault 5 journalists covering protests
Bogotá, March 16, 2022 – Peruvian authorities must investigate the recent attacks on five journalists by supporters of President Pedro Castillo outside Peru’s Congress building and guarantee that the press can cover political demonstrations safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. During a March 8 vote by Peru’s legislature to approve Castillo’s new cabinet,…
Peru legislators propose law criminalizing reporting based on leaked information
Miami, March 10, 2022 — Peru’s Congress should reject a bill that would criminalize reporting based on leaked information from informants cooperating in criminal investigations, as it would negatively impact journalists’ ability to operate, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On February 23, the Commission of Justice and Human Rights unanimously approved a bill…
Peruvian journalist Gastón Medina receives death threat note, bullet at his outlet
Bogotá, March 2, 2022 – Peruvian authorities must thoroughly investigate a death threat against TV journalist Gastón Medina, bring those responsible to justice, and guarantee his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On February 23, Medina, the owner and news director of the independent Cadena Sur television station in the southern city of…
Peruvian court convicts author, publication director on defamation charges for book on politician
Bogotá, January 13, 2022 – Peruvian authorities should not contest journalist Christopher Acosta and Penguin Random House Peru director Jerónimo Pimentel’s appeal of a recent criminal defamation conviction and should stop using criminal defamation laws against members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 10, a criminal court judge in…
Peruvian journalist receives threatening messages, demands to stop reporting on local officials
Bogotá, December 9, 2021 – Peruvian authorities must thoroughly investigate death threats against journalist Jairo Roque Gómez and hold the perpetrators to account, and local officials should refrain from using the country’s outdated defamation laws to threaten reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On December 1, Roque, editor of the independent Diario Hechicera…
A press freedom crisis unfolds in Latin America
As the number of journalists imprisoned globally for their work climbs to record highs, cases of those behind bars in Latin America remained relatively low. A total of six – three in Cuba, two in Nicaragua and one in Brazil – were in custody for their work as of December 1, according to the Committee…
Peru opens criminal investigation into Ojo Público’s Ernesto Cabral over corruption reporting
Bogotá, November 12, 2021 – Peruvian authorities should immediately drop their criminal investigation of journalist Ernesto Cabral and allow him and the Ojo Público team to work free of harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 9, Ojo Público, a Lima-based news website, reported that government prosecutors are seeking an order to…
Peruvian journalist Carlos Yofré López convicted in one criminal defamation case, on trial in another
Bogotá, August 31, 2021 – Peruvian authorities should drop criminal defamation charges against journalist Carlos Yofré López and prosecutors should not contest López’s appeal of his conviction in a separate criminal defamation case, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Both cases allege criminal defamation due to the journalist’s investigative work. In one case, López,…
In five Latin American countries, COVID-19 responses restrict press freedom, CPJ, TrustLaw find
In Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, and Peru, emergency measures in response to COVID-19 restricted the media’s capacity to report freely and the public’s ability to access information, including critical information about public health interventions and the pandemic itself, a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Thomson Reuters Foundation’s TrustLaw program found. The report,…
Supporters of Peruvian presidential candidate Pedro Castillo harass, assault 2 journalists covering rally
Miami, May 25, 2021 – Peruvian authorities must investigate the recent attack on journalists Stefanie Medina and Carlos Brown, and guarantee that the press can cover election events safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 19, at about 5:15 p.m., a group of people at a rally in support of presidential candidate…