Peru: Pope Francisco meets author Paola Ugaz, persecuted for her investigations into religious association Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana
10 November: PEN International welcomes the news that Pope Francisco met Peruvian journalist and author Paola Ugaz at the Vatican on 10 November: "It is time for the truth and to listen to the message and not punish the messenger, and if the messenger is a woman, the situation is even worse," said the Pontiff during the meeting with Ugaz.
Paola Ugaz is a Peruvian investigative journalist, editor and writer. She has faced a campaign of harassment, threats and defamation lawsuits, including allegations of crimes, due to her investigations into corruption as well as into physical, psychological and sexual abuse within the Peruvian religious organization Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, which she has conducted since 2010.
"The Peruvian authorities must immediately stop all legal harassment against Paola Ugaz. She faces numerous lawsuits, threats of imprisonment and death threats which are shocking attempts to silence her investigative journalism. The international community will continue to speak out on her behalf," said Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director of PEN International.
The case opened in January 2021 against Ugaz by the Peruvian Special Prosecutor's Office for Corruption of Public Officials, should be dropped as it is based on false facts. The main accuser was absent all four times he was summoned to testify.
“As a writer and journalist myself, I know that our profession is not always a comfortable one to pursue. Nor should it be. We do not set out to make ourselves liked. Instead, we set out to speak the truth to the best of our ability. We believe that no one should be above criticism, and certainly no religious or political institution, however rich or powerful. When I read about the harassment you are facing – the drawn-out legal cases, the prospect of imprisonment and fines, even the death threat that you received – I am shocked and saddened, but not surprised”, said writer Elena Ponatiowska, vice-president of PEN International and 2014 Cervantes Prize winner, in a public letter she sent to Ugaz in November 2020.
PEN International considers that the charges, threats and legal harassment of Ugaz are the result of her work as journalist and author and a violation of her right to freedom of expression, as well as of her civil and political rights. PEN International calls on the Peruvian authorities to cease immediately the legal harassment of Ugaz, dismiss all charges against her, and place her under immediate protection.
To learn more about the case of Paola Ugaz, click on the following links:
https://pen-international.org/es/noticias/peru-autora-paola-ugaz-en-riesgo-de-ser-detenida