"Journalist Paola Ugaz was assaulted last Sat., Feb. 4, by members of the Peruvian National Police (PNP) while covering another day of protests in downtown Lima. She told La República newspaper that other press members were also beaten by the agents, despite identifying themselves as journalists. 'This police is not the police of a democratic country like Peru,' she said.
The incident happened when a group of demonstrators, accompanied by journalists covering the protest, were making their way near Grau Avenue and suddenly the police began firing tear gas to disperse them. Then, a wave of violence was unleashed against both journalists and citizens.
'People start running from the tear gas and I put myself in a corner. I took out my press credentials, and why did I take out my credentials? This guy pushed me against the wall, hit my head, the left side of my chest and my back. They kicked other journalists unknown to me, but they had identified themselves as journalists. Two women pulled me out and saved me,' Ugaz told La República."
Read original article (in Spanish)
