The ombudsman’s office asked the government this Thursday to exclude the submission of a bill that would qualify the offense of distribution tax information and this, according to the institution, will affect freedom of expression and the right of citizens to information.
Through a statement protection expressed concern about the announcement of a legislative initiative presented by the executive branch to Congress, which proposes to punish anyone who discloses information about tax investigations.
“This proposal aims to prevent those who provide important information to journalists from working together, thereby violating freedom of expression and the right of citizens to information,” said the organization, which called “unreasonable” the possible adoption of a criminal law that affects the aforementioned rights. .
He added that “it is essential to provide minimum conditions for the press to do its job fully” and that “such conditions cannot be achieved in a context in which disclosure is a criminal offence. tax information”.
He insisted that the project “intimidates journalistic sources by preventing or hindering press access to reliable information on current and public interest.”
“Although the rule establishes that all tax investigations are confidential, this must be weighed in accordance with the principles and rights that are the basis of a democratic constitutional order, such as the principles of transparency and maximum publicity of state actions. ., as well as freedom of speech and information,” he said. Ombudsman.
government bill
Last Friday, Prime Minister Anibal Torres announced that the government had submitted this legislative initiative to Parliament, which would penalize civil servants who disclose information about trials to third parties.
Torres explained that the proposal aims to put an end to “this way of practically marketing reserved criminal information” and punish him with up to four years in prison.
The announcement sparked controversy from the start and was criticized by several journalistic circles in the country, who questioned whether the initiative originated in a context in which President Pedro Castillo was being investigated by prosecutors and Congress for allegedly leading a criminal organization rooted in the executive branch. , which also involved other characters associated with the current regime, fugitives from justice.
In this sense, the Council of the Press of Peru (CPP) warned that the project aims to “protect those currently implicated in alleged cases of corruption” and asked the parliament “not to play the game” and stop “this obscurantist measure.”
“They want to cover up alleged crimes and want to protect the country’s first government official, which is the president,” he agreed in statements to PTR News representative of the National Society of Radio and Television (SNRTV) Gustavo Gomez.
For his part, Ricardo Burgos, dean of the College of Journalists of Peru, called the government’s proposal “unconstitutional,” which he interprets as “an attempt to blindfold society through the press.”
“This is a gag law, this is a law with its own name. This is a bill that we hope Congress will not pass,” Burgos concluded in a dialogue with RPP news. (EFE)
Source: RPP
I’m Liza Grey, an experienced news writer and author at the Buna Times. I specialize in writing about economic issues, with a focus on uncovering stories that have a positive impact on society. With over seven years of experience in the news industry, I am highly knowledgeable about current events and the ways in which they affect our daily lives.