Peru

On December 6, journalist Fernando Núñez, director of the news outlet Kamila TV in the La Libertad region, was murdered by hired gunmen while returning home with his brother, who was seriously injured, after completing an assignment. Núñez had been investigating alleged irregularities in infrastructure projects in the district of Guadalupe, Pacasmayo province. Four individuals were arrested. Police investigations indicate that the crime was allegedly coordinated from prison by an inmate held for extortion offenses, for an amount of approximately 4,000 soles (about USD 1,150). The head of the Criminal Investigation Division in Trujillo stated that the main hypothesis links the murder to the complaints aired by the journalist on his program.

On December 12, journalist Mitzar Bato Castillejos, host at Radio Latín Plus and director of the news outlet Bato a Informarte Noticias, was attacked by two hired gunmen in the Ucayali region. He was shot five times, three of them direct hits. He died on December 26, 14 days after the attack, because of his injuries. Castillejos had been investigating alleged irregularities in the municipal administration of Padre Abad province.

In February, Daniel Urresti regained his freedom after the Constitutional Court annulled his 12-year prison sentence for the 1988 murder of Hugo Bustíos. The Court held that the crimes were time-barred and that the Rome Statute, signed by Peru in 2002, does not apply retroactively. The decision drew condemnation from national and international press organizations, as well as concern from United Nations experts, who warned that it weakens the country’s international commitments and fosters impunity.

During this period, multiple attacks and acts of harassment against journalists were also recorded.

In October, Congresswoman Kira Alcarraz, from the Podemos Perú party, threatened reporter Marycielo del Castillo, from Willax, when she attempted to obtain her statements: “If I were upset, you can be sure I’d slam you against the wall. But since I’m not upset, that’s why you’re still alive, my dear”.

In November, two journalists reported threats. Sindy Roque Maldonado, host of the program SRM Noticias in Cotabambas, Apurímac, accused Ricardina Yucra Peralta, wife of the district mayor of Challhuahuacho, Luis Iván Cruz Puma, who allegedly told her: “I’m going to kill you.” That same month, journalist Hessed Rosales Santos, from Radio Revolución Satipo, reported threats via WhatsApp: “In the coming days we’re going to make you disappear… we’ll take care of making your entire family disappear and it will look like an accident.”

On December 19, journalist Anthony Rumiche Rodríguez, from Prensa Callao TV, survived an attack when his vehicle was hit by more than 20 gunshots fired by individuals on motorcycles. He was unharmed. Rumiche had published investigations into alleged corruption involving Callao regional governor Ciro Castillo, a fugitive from justice.

That same month, journalist Karla Ramírez, from Panamericana Televisión, reported that an associate of former Interior Minister Juan José Santiváñez allegedly ordered her surveillance and possible assassination in September. The information emerged from testimony by a cooperating witness before prosecutors.

In January, journalist Stefanie Medina, reporter for the program Contracorriente on Willax, was threatened, insulted on social media, and subjected to the dissemination of personal data and AI-manipulated content after publishing a report on an alleged sexual abuse case involving three players from the Alianza Lima club in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Also in January, presidential candidate Rafael López Aliaga threatened journalist Ángel Páez, from La República, after he revealed that one of Aliaga’s companies had outstanding tax debts with SUNAT, the national tax authority. “Mr. Páez should prepare for another lawsuit,” he said in an interview, adding: “I forgive every journalist, except Páez.”

In February, legal pressure against media outlets was reported, such as the attempt by the Municipality of Miraflores to initiate criminal proceedings against the team of the podcast La Encerrona after it published information of public interest about the leak of personal data of 60,000 residents through the municipal website. The authority accused the outlet of “trafficking in computer data” and requested an investigation into journalists Ernesto Cabral and Brandon Quevedo for alleged cybercrimes.

Also in February, during activities of the official delegation of Pope Leo XIV in hospitals in Chiclayo, journalists David Chiroque, from Exitosa, and Joel Larrea, from TV Perú, were harassed and expelled by security personnel despite being accredited.

At the institutional level, actions were observed across all three branches of government.

After the departure of Dina Boluarte, the executive branch toned down its hostile rhetoric while continuing to pressure the press. During the presidency of José Jerí (October 10, 2025, to February 17, 2026), he announced possible legal action against media outlets that reported on alleged irregular hiring within his circle, which led to his censure by Congress and subsequent retraction. In December, direct attacks occurred, such as the violent removal of journalist Javier Rumiche, from RPP, and his cameraman in Tacna by a presidential bodyguard as they attempted to approach the president.

There were also restrictions on press access to official events, such as the exclusion of journalists from the swearing-in ceremony of the cabinet led by José María Balcázar, who assumed the presidency on February 18.

The legislative branch continued promoting initiatives that could restrict freedom of expression. In November, the Jerí administration proposed modifying the Criminal Code to include the offense of “disclosure of confidential information in the context of criminal investigations and police actions,” arguing the need to protect confidentiality, which was questioned by journalistic organizations.

That same month, lawmakers introduced two bills aimed at penalizing disinformation during electoral campaigns. One proposed modifying Article 356 of the Criminal Code to penalize inducing votes through deception, including the use of fake news, artificial intelligence, or social media. The other proposed modifying Article 192 of the Organic Law of Elections to prohibit the creation and dissemination of misleading material that manipulates the appearance or voice of candidates using digital tools.

Additionally, Congressman Wilson Soto introduced—and later withdrew—a bill to regulate the activity of influencers, commentators, and content creators on social media through professional requirements and mandatory registration in an official registry; the initiative was abandoned after public backlash.

In December, Congress approved legislative powers that included the classification of the crime of disclosure of confidential information in Law 32527. Although the law incorporated a safeguard clause protecting the right to information, press freedom, and professional secrecy, journalistic associations warned that it limits the scope of source protection.

Meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor’s Office consolidated itself as one of the main sources of pressure against the press.

In October, authorities reopened investigations related to publications on corruption, such as the case of journalists Julio César Farfán and Erick Baylón, from Prensa Regional de Moquegua, for alleged crimes of generic falsification and false accusation. The case had been dismissed in 2024, following a 2025 publication on alleged acts of corruption in the regional government of Moquegua.

That same month, the Attorney General, Tomás Gálvez, publicly described journalist Daniel Yovera, from Epicentro, as someone who “commits crimes” and “acts almost like a criminal,” after Yovera published information about references to the prosecutor in interrogations related to former judge Iván Noguera, who faces accusations of bribery, influence peddling, and criminal organization.

In November, authorities opened an investigation against journalist Graciela Tiburcio for alleged false accusation, following a complaint filed by Víctor Hugo Quijada Tacuri, a former congressional candidate. Tiburcio had published a 2021 investigation based on testimonies about an alleged case of harassment of schoolchildren. Since then, she has faced nine lawsuits and reported death threats.

In December, the First Superior Criminal Prosecutor’s Office of Lima declared unfounded the complaint filed by former Interior Minister Juan José Santiváñez against journalists Mónica Delta, Juan Subauste, and Carlos Hidalgo, from Latina, for the alleged crime of surveillance, following the broadcast of a 2025 report.

Finally, in February, journalist Jonathan Castro, general producer of La Encerrona, was summoned “very urgently” as a witness by the Prosecutor’s Office in a case related to the alleged falsification of COVID-19 vaccination cards, a matter he himself had exposed in 2021.