Peru’s Consejo de la Prensa Peruana (CPP) has condemned the new parliament’s decision to block journalists from entering the Senate chamber during its first official sessions, warning that the restrictions violated press freedom and the public’s right to information.
According to the CPP’s monthly report, reporters from multiple outlets were prevented from covering both the swearing-in of senators and, two days later, the election of the Senate’s governing board. Journalists were instead directed to an adjacent room where they followed proceedings on a television screen. The official justification given was that no space had been set aside for press coverage.
The CPP said the restrictions were not a new development, noting it was not the first time parliament had blocked journalists from covering its sessions. The council called on Congress to respect freedom of expression and information, and to avoid repeating what it described as the constant violations of those freedoms over the previous five years.
The council also rejected the stated reasons for the exclusions, arguing that claims of insufficient space, poor infrastructure, or technical failures were pretexts to shield parliamentary activity from independent scrutiny. Limiting coverage to an adjacent room, it said, defeated the purpose of journalism, which requires firsthand access to events, statements, and interviews.
Press association raises conditions at July 24 session
On July 24, journalists were barred from the Senate chamber for the governing board vote. The Asociacion Nacional de Periodistas (ANP) reported that the room assigned to the press did not have enough chairs for all reporters present, nor adequate space for equipment.
The ANP demanded that parliament guarantee proper conditions for journalists, saying that coverage of a chamber making decisions of significant public importance could not be reduced to following the official congressional broadcast.
