The complaint is the latest in a series of legal proceedings filed in connection with Paola Ugaz’s reporting on abuses at the Sodalitium of Christian Life, a Peruvian-based religious group that was dissolved by the Pope in January 2025.
This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 21 September 2026.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, PEN International, and other 32 freedom of expression and press freedom organizations and media outlets, signed a joint statement condemning a new criminal complaint filed on August 17 by the Asociación Civil San Juan Bautista (ACSJB) against Peruvian investigative journalist Paola Ugaz.
The complaint is the latest in a series of legal proceedings filed in connection with Ugaz’s reporting on the Sodalitium of Christian Life, a Peruvian-based religious group that was dissolved by the Pope in January 2025.
From 2018 to 2026, Ugaz has faced a campaign of harassment, threats, and at least five defamation lawsuits, as well as allegations of other criminal offenses, following her investigations into alleged corruption and physical, psychological and sexual abuse in connection with Sodalitium of Christian Life.
The signatory organizations call on the authorities to ensure that criminal law and judicial proceedings are not used to intimidate journalists, compel them to amend legitimate reporting on matters of public interest, or undermine the protection of journalistic sources.
Read the full statement in Spanish and English here.
