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.
A Peruvian journalist was detained for eight hours for filming police officers turning television sets off in the Plaza de Armas in the city of Celendín in northern Peru, while people were trying to watch Ollanta Humala's presidential message on Saturday, July 28.
A chamber of the Peruvian Supreme Court decided to reduce the sentences of many members of the death squad, known as Grupo Colina that was active during the 90s in Peru, nullifying sentences for crimes against humanity in several cases, including the killing of journalist Pedro Yauri.
On Tuesday, July 10, Peruvian journalist Rudy Palma was released from prison where he was held for two-and-a-half months after allegedly illegally hacking into the emails of public officials, reported the newspaper Perú21.
Numerous journalists in Peru have been attacked in recent days. On Wednesday, July 4, police attacked at least five journalists who were covering the state of emergency declared in the region of Cajamarca.
A Peruvian journalist was hospitalized after being brutally attacked in the province of Calca, department of Cuzco, after criticizing the local mayor, whom the journalist blamed for the attack, reported the news outlet Enlace Nacional.
A judge in a Peruvian court issued an order to intercept the phone calls of eight journalists and a congressperson, reported the Press and Society Institute (IPYS in Spanish).
On Wednesday, June 6, the National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP in Spanish) reported the temporary kidnapping and attacks that a Peruvian journalist suffered on May 27 by a large group of protesters against the Swiss mining company Xstrata in the province of Espinar, in Cuzco, reported the news agency EFE.
On Wednesday, June 6, the National Association of Journalists of Peru reported that on May 24, a judge from the department of Ancash emitted a sentence against a journalist for alleged defamation of a public official of the province. The sentence was suspended as long as the journalist follows certain rules, including "rectifying" damages within 15 days.
On Tuesday, June 5, two Peruvian journalists were sentenced to two years in prison and fined to pay more than $22,000 each to the former Interior Minister, Antonio Ketín Vidal Herrera, who accused the journalists of "alleged defamation" on January 12, 2011, reported the Press and Society Institute.
According to the Press and Society Institute (IPYS in Spanish), between Wednesday, May 30 and Thursday May 31, a wave of journalists were attacked and threatened all across Peru,the majority of them while they were trying to cover different protests throughout the country.
Rights Court, and the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression. The letter was sent in anticipation of the 42nd OAS General Assembly, June 3-5 in the city of Cochabamba in Bolivia, where different proposals will be discussed to change the Inter American human rights system, according to the Venezuelan newspaper El Universal. The proposals caused concern among diverse human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, which said that these changes would weaken the Human Rights Commission, reported the news agency AFP. On May 10, the OAS General Secretary, José Miguel Insulza, said that the human rights def