Peru: RSF alarmed by authorities’ inaction after two attempts to assassinate journalists in December

On 19 December, the vehicle of journalist Anthony Rumiche Rodríguez, from the television broadcaster Prensa Callao TV, was attackedby 20 gunshots outside his home in Callao - a region next to the Lima metropolitan area - just hours after he had covered a regional government press conference and challenged restrictions on journalistic scrutiny. He was unharmed, according to information from RSF. The journalist has published reports on alleged corruption within the Callao Regional Government, whose governor, Ciro Castillo, has been described by the press as a fugitive and is under investigation for organised crime and aggravated collusion.

Days earlier, on 12 December, Mitzar Castillejos Tenazoa, presenter on Radio Latin Plus 107.7 FM and editor of the news outlet Bato a Informarte Noticias, was shotin Aguaytía, in the Amazonian region of Ucayali, while on his way to his programme's recording studio. He remains in critical condition. Earlier in the month, on 6 December, Juan Fernando Núñez Guevara, director of the digital outlet Kamila TVand local representative of the National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP), was murderedby armed men travelling on a motorcycle in the province of Pacasmayo, in the north of the country.

Despite the seriousness of these attacks and the pace at which they have occurred, RSF has noted no high-level public statements in defence of journalism, nor any verifiable information on substantive progress in the investigations that might deter further attacks. This silence and lack of results is fuelling a climate of impunity that is hitting regional and investigative journalism particularly hard. Contacted by RSF, the authorities did not respond.

Institutional crisis and the spread of violence

Peru has been experiencing a sustained political and institutional crisis since December 2022. During this period, Congress has approved or promoted legal reforms that directly affect criminal investigations and the prosecution of complex crimes. These measures include changes that shorten limitation periods, restrict effective collaboration, alter the legal definition of organised crime - excluding illicit economies such as illegal mining - and tighten conditions for investigative actions such as raids and seizures (for example, by requiring the presence of defence lawyers). They also weaken mechanisms for recovering assets of illicit origin (asset forfeiture). The authoritarian regime has also enacted rules that prevent the investigation of certain actors or structures, undermining efforts to combat corruption and organised crime.

At the same time, public accountability has been severely inadequate since 2022. Since September 2025, following the arrival of the interim president, no presidential press conferences have been held, and only three interviews with pro-government media outlets have been recorded, according to local monitoring.

RSF Recommandations

RSF calls on the Peruvian authorities to respond in proportion to the gravity of these events, with immediate and verifiable measures:

• Public accountability: a high-level official statement in defence of journalism, along with verifiable updates on investigative progress.
• Improve protection mechanism: effectiveness and concrete actions of the Protection Mechanism, which has been undermined by a progressive reduction in its budget since 2022, as well as by a lack of coordination and institutional articulation.
• Fight against impunity: prioritising the link to journalism and ensuring the identification and punishment not only of the perpetrators, but of those who ordered the attacks as well.