Journalists’ unions are rejecting an executive branch bill that would penalize the dissemination of tax information.

Federation of Journalists of Peru and Institute of Press and Society (IPYS) They rejected an executive branch bill that seeks to penalize the dissemination of tax information.

The civil organization said in a statement that the measure would “affect all types of tax investigations,” which it considers “clearly unconstitutional.”

In addition, he considered that the project “would rather be consistent with an attempt to prevent denunciation of the regime’s numerous accused.”

IPY He said that he would wait until he had the text of the draft in order to speak more precisely on it.

In the same sense Federation of Journalists of Peru expressed his “categorical” rejection of the bill, which Executive to Congress.

“We reject and condemn this kind of journalistic coercion and blackmail of those who tell the truth. This bill will harm the work of investigative journalism if it is approved in the plenary session of Parliament. Legislative”, they noted.

In a statement, the journalists’ union expressed support for freedom of information, opinion and expression “in all forms”. In that sense, they warned that the bill “provides for penalties of up to four years’ imprisonment.”

“This bill is designed to minimize investigative journalism and leave the truth as the main principle of the press, qualify it as a criminal offense and prosecute in its highest form. In addition, corrupt actions of the current government cannot be detected. easy, with this legal premise that would hinder the right to information,” they said.

ANP and College of Journalists of Peru

From my side, National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP) joined the rejection of the bill because “it directly affects the journalistic activity in the country.”

“ANP expresses concern about the way this initiative will go, as there is full agreement on this issue between the executive branch and the legislative branch, which already in February of this year unanimously approved the conclusion of the Commission of Justice, which punished the dissemination of evidence of those who took advantage of effective cooperation,” they said.

“At a time when there is a trend across the continent to make the processes against public administration and corruption, which involve those who perform or have performed public functions, as transparent as possible, what is happening in the country is a clear regression,” they added.

“The confidentiality of sources has been necessary for the disclosure of facts of public interest in recent decades. Imitation of violation of professional secrecy is not only impossible, but also unconstitutional. For this reason, we deplore the fact that both the executive and the legislature, in their capacity as public authorities, are abandoning their role as guarantors of rights and freedoms, distorting their own or delegated capacity of the legislature,” they concluded.

Meanwhile, from Peru College of Journalists They expressed their rejection of the initiative of the executive branch and considered that it implies “a hidden risk and a threat to freedom of speech.” As explained in the statement, the project under consideration affects the right of the Peruvian society to be informed and to be informed, as stated in article 2, paragraph 4, of the Constitution.

“The executive branch’s draft, which could well be described as a ‘gag law’, violates not only national law, but also contradicts the philosophy and standards of free speech and the rule of law in the hemisphere, which is signed by Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and it is mandatory for Peru, as well as the Chapultepec Declaration when it establishes the principle that there are no free people or societies without freedom of speech and press, emphasizing that the exercise of this is not a concession of the authorities, it is the inalienable right of the people,” they noted.

“For this reason Peru College of Journalists rejects this bill, which aims only to legalize the secrecy and intimidation in the media of cases of corruption that the media, journalists and communicators spread for the benefit of the moral health of the country.”

Attack on press freedom

Cabinet Minister Anibal Torres announced yesterday, Friday, the submission to Congress of a bill that would make disclosure of criminal tax information a crime. The norm, according to him, was approved at the last meeting of the Council of Ministers.

“A bill has been passed that qualifies the disclosure of confidential information during criminal investigations as a crime. The criminal investigation at its preliminary stage has been retained. It ceases to be reserved when it proceeds to the oral test. There it is public and there is no reservation, ”he said at a press conference.

This bill was announced in advance by Justice Minister Felix Chereau on 13 June. The official assured that the measure was aimed at “protecting” the presumption of innocence of those under investigation.

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