Peru: Halt the judicial proceedings against Paola Ugaz, and stop the ongoing campaign of harassment against her
Update 3 October 2023:
On 3 October 2023, the Peruvian Public Prosecutor's Office officially announced the definitive closure of the case against Paola Ugaz for the alleged crime of "money laundering". The case was closed for lack of evidence against the Peruvian journalist. The lawsuit, initiated by Luciano Revoredo, was based on false evidence, including fabricated conversations attributed to the journalist. The lawsuit should never have existed. PEN International considered the judicial persecution of Ugaz, an attempt to silence and halt her investigations.
PEN International welcomes the decision of the Public Prosecutors Office, while condemning the ongoing persecution of Ugaz, including an investigation against her for illicit enrichment. This was initiated in April by Patricia Benavides, Peru’s Attorney General, upon receipt of a legal complaint filed by Luciano Revoredo, director of the ultra-conservative website La Abeja, who has repeatedly attacked Ugaz's work and, on many occasions, has defamed, insulted, and harassed her. The inquiry entails measures seeking to scrutinize her phone calls and messages, which not only encroach upon her role as a journalist but also compromise the confidentiality of information shared by her sources.
18 August: PEN International raises serious concerns about the ongoing campaign of harassment, threats, and defamation lawsuits against Peruvian investigative journalist and author Paola Ugaz, in retaliation for her investigations into corruption and instances of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse within the Peruvian religious organisation Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, which she has conducted since 2010 with journalist Pedro Salinas.
On 25 July the Peruvian Public Prosecutor's Office declared the closure of one of the investigations against Ugaz, who had been accused of money laundering. The ruling stated that the allegations against her lack "subjective credibility, as there are conflicts between the complainant and the investigated", and that “There are no elements of conviction that peripherally corroborate and objectively prove that the investigated Paola Margot Ugaz Cruz has participated in acts that constitute the crime of money laundering, whose material object of the crime is illicit assets coming from the Brazilian companies Odebrecht or OAS”, as per provision N°50 of the judicial file.
PEN International welcomes the decision of the Public Prosecutors Office, while condemning the ongoing persecution of Ugaz, including the investigation against her for illicit enrichment. This process was initiated in April by Patricia Benavides, Peru’s Attorney General, upon receipt of a legal complaint filed by Luciano Revoredo, director of the ultra-conservative website La Abeja, who has repeatedly attacked Ugaz's work and, on many occasions, has defamed, insulted, and harassed her. The legal complaint, based on fake WhatsApp chats published by the newspaper Expreso, alleges that Ugaz had enriched herself illicitly when she was part of the press team of the former mayor of Lima, Susana Villarán. The inquiry entails measures seeking to scrutinize her phone calls and messages, which not only encroach upon her role as a journalist but also compromise the confidentiality of information shared by her sources.
On 12 May, Ugaz was the target of media attacks which linked her to the case of a public official accused of money laundering and accused her of attending a Google Conference in Brazil to flee the allegations against her.
In early 2022, Ugaz was acquitted of a criminal case that Revoredo brought against her in 2020 for defamation, in retaliation for her investigations into Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana. Revoredo has also revealed private information about Ugaz's children and husband and has made denigrating comments about her.
In November of that year, Ugaz met Pope Francisco who commented on her case: "It is time for the truth and to listen to the message and not punish the messenger, and if the messenger is a woman, the situation is even worse”. This statement followed an announcement by the Vatican on 21 July about its upcoming mission to Peru to investigate allegations of sexual abuse within Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana.
Ugaz's case is part of a sophisticated system in Peru where powerful groups use the courts to silence journalists by fabricating criminal allegations against them.
PEN International considers the charges, lawsuits, threats, and ongoing harassment against Ugaz a violation of her right to freedom of expression, as well as her civil and political rights. PEN International calls on the Peruvian authorities to dismiss the lawsuits against Ugaz and to cease immediately the harassment she faces for her work as a journalist, editor, and writer.
Please, send appeals to the Peruvian authorities:
Expressing deep concern about Ugaz’s charges, lawsuits, threats and ongoing harassment, which are in relation to her work.
Calling for a halt to the judicial proceedings against Ugaz, which are intended to stop her investigations and prevent the publication of her books, as well as to impose a chilling effect on other writers and journalists and prevent them from exercising their right to freedom of expression.
Calling upon the Peruvian authorities to repeal criminal defamation legislation, which is still in force in Peru. Such legislation impedes the exercise of citizens' rights to information and to hold their government to account. It also limits the exercise of the right to freedom of expression, and therefore erodes the work of writers, journalists and editors.
Send appeals to:
-
Dina Boluarte
Twitter: @presidenciaperu -
Liz Patricia Benavides Vargas
Attorney of the NationEmail lbenavides@mpfn.gob.pe
Tel. +51 208 5555 (5202) - (5201)
Twitter @FiscaliaPeru
Address: Av. Abancay Cdra 5 (Headquarters in Lima) LIMA – Peru -
Eliana Revollar Añaños
Ombudsman
Tel: 01-311 0300 - Annex 1202E
Email: defensor@defensoria.gob.pe
Address: Jirón Ucayali 394 - 398 Lima 1
Send copies to the Embassy of Peru in your own country. Embassy addresses may be found here: https://www.embassy-worldwide.com/country/peru/
Outreach
PEN members are encouraged to:
Publish articles and opinion pieces in their national or local press highlighting the case of Ugaz and freedom of expression in Peru;
Share information about Ugaz and their campaigning activities via social media calling for a halt to the judicial proceedings against her.
Background
In 2015, journalist Pedro Salinas and Ugaz published the book Mitad monjes, mitad soldados (Half Monks, Half Soldiers) (Planeta, 2015), which uncovered corruption as well as physical, psychological and sexual abuse within the Catholic organisation Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana. Ugaz began to receive complaints and lawsuits following the announcement she was publishing a new book (yet to be published) about the group's financial management.
Over the last five years, Ugaz has faced at least five legal proceedings for the publication of her book and investigative journalism. In October 2020, she received a death threat on her Instagram account and a new hearing was held, in which the judge decided to open a judicial process against her. The trial stems from a complaint filed by Luciano Revoredo Rojas, a former congressional candidate and director of the conservative Catholic news and commentary website La Abeja, who accused Ugaz of aggravated defamation.
Furthermore, in November 2020, Carlos Alberto Gomez de la Torre Pretell, a ‘Sodalicio’ employee, sued Ugaz for defamation following her participation in a 40-second statement, broadcast by Al Jazeera in a documentary titled "The Sodalitium Scandal."
For a long time, Ugaz has been the target of a smear and disinformation campaign which links her, without evidence, to alleged criminal networks, money laundering, and uranium and plutonium trading, among others.
See previous actions on Paola Ugaz:
Day of the Imprisoner Writer Campaign 2020 – Paola Ugaz
Peru: Author Paola Ugaz at risk of arrest for her books and research
Day of the Imprisoned Writer 2020 - Take Action for Paola Ugaz
For more information, please contact Alicia Quiñones, Head of the Americas Region, alicia.quinones@pen-international.org, and Sabrina Tucci, Communications and Campaigns Manager at PEN International: Sabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org