Argentina’s Circle of Parliamentary Journalists has condemned the decision to bar accredited reporters from the press galleries traditionally reserved for media during the upcoming legislative assembly, where President Javier Milei will address both chambers on Saturday.
‘This is an unprecedented decision, made without consultation, breaking more than a century of media access in Parliament, and without any explanation for imposing this unnecessary obstacle to covering one of the year’s most significant legislative events,’ the group said in a statement, denouncing the move by Chamber of Deputies President Martín Menem and Senate President Victoria Villarruel.
The statement said 'all invited guests are customarily assigned designated galleries, and there is no justification for this completely irrational and senseless discrimination against journalists.'
The group also criticized authorities for imposing the restriction “without any necessity, given that accredited press have historically occupied these galleries without a single incident that would warrant such a measure.”
