By Liliana Honorato
Troubled by the introduction of bills that would create information crimes in Peru, the Press and Society Institute (IPYS in Spanish) and several other international organizations penned an open letter to the Peruvian Congress regarding the right to freedom of information, reported the newspaper Perú21 on Tuesday, Aug. 7.
IPYS noted several concerns about two bills in particular, introduced in 2011, regarding "the exclusion of electronic communications from constitutional protection" and the increase of the penalty to between five and 10 years in prison. The groups argue that the bills would damage freedom of expression in the Andean country if they become law.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) also signed the letter, asking that the vote be postponed while the bills were revised. "Their approval would lead to a violation of the fundamental rights of Peruvian citizens," HRW wrote.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
