"The Peruvian Press Council has called on government officials to drop a case into journalists Rosana Cueva, news director at América Televisión and Canal N, Eduardo Quispe, and Beto Ortiz, who are accused of illegal trafficking of personal data and involvement in organized crime.
The investigation began after Zamir Villaverde, a criminal convicted and sentenced for aggravated robbery, filed a complaint against the journalists who reported on him. The move is seen as an obvious act of retaliation and intimidation, which should at the very least raise suspicions within the Prosecutor’s Office.
Last November, Villaverde had already demanded several journalists remove content about him from their websites—an unacceptable request in journalism—using various intimidation tactics, including sending threatening letters listing his property records and credit history.
The most alarming aspect of this investigation is that it could lead to severe consequences affecting journalists' right to protect their sources. This includes the potential lifting of private communication, which would grant the state access to anonymous sources—a fundamental guarantee that journalists offer in exchange for information of public interest."
