Judicial Harassment in Peru: Paola Ugaz’s Communications Secrecy Lifted

October 04, 2024 – Peru –

Peruvian investigative journalist Paola Ugaz—known for exposing sexual, physical, and financial abuses within the Catholic lay organization Sodalitium Christianae Vitae—faces a disturbing escalation in legal pressure: a court has ordered the lifting of confidentiality on her phone records and geolocation data from 2013 to 2020.

This unprecedented judicial move stems from two stacked criminal suits against Ugaz: one for alleged money laundering in 2021, and a broader illicit enrichment inquiry initiated in August 2023. These cases, part of a long campaign of intimidation by interests tied to the Sodalitium, allegedly aim to undermine Ugaz’s reporting by exposing her confidential communications, potentially revealing sensitive sources and internal conversations.

Ugaz and her attorney argue that the court overstepped legal boundaries by authorizing such intrusive surveillance. Under Peru’s constitution and international press freedom norms, journalists’ communications are protected to safeguard source confidentiality, not subject to blanket data collection spanning years.

In response, Ugaz appealed the decision in September 2024, seeking to reverse the order. She noted that it allows her to become “the first journalist in Peru to have their communications lifted,” likening the country’s actions to authoritarian regimes. Watchdog groups—from CPJ to Women’s Press Freedom—have called the lifting of communications secrecy “illegal” and “dangerous,” warning of its chilling impact on investigative journalism.

Her legal ordeal dates back to her 2015 co-authored book Half Monks, Half Soldiers, which triggered Vatican-led investigations and internal purge within the Sodalitium. However, rather than being resolved, the case has evolved into a broader pattern of harassment—defamation suits, financial accusations, and now invasive surveillance—all interpreted as tactics to discredit and silence her

Reference – 

Peruvian court orders lifting of communications secrecy for journalist Paola Ugaz

CPJ condemns Peruvian journalist communications secrecy lifting – Committee to Protect Journalists