Peru: Paola Ugaz faces criminal defamation suit following smear campaign against her

September 25, 2020, Lima, Peru -- Investigative journalist Paola Ugaz is facing legal harassment following her investigation of allegations of sexual abuse by the Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, an important religious organization in Peru. 

Paola, who co-authored a 2015 book that alleged Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse is charged with defamation and is requested to pay 200,000 soles (US$56,000) in damages. If convicted, Paola can also face upto three years imprisonment along with this fine. 

Paola has been targeted by smear campaigns since the publishing of her book “Half Monks, Half Soldiers” in 2015. Since the end of August, Diario Expreso has been one of the media outlets that have started a smear campaign against Paola Ugaz. According to the newspaper, the journalist would be part of a criminal organization dedicated to "smurfing" two million dollars.

Some of the smear campaigns include alleging her of having connections to “Arab interests” and equates her reporting practices to Nazi propaganda.

Peru is becoming more and more dangerous for women journalists who investigate on “sensitive” issues such as abuse of power and corruption. In January 2020, journalist Daisy Lizeth Mina Huaman went missing and her whereabouts are still unknown. 

Paola Ugaz’s defamation suit is further evidence that online smear campaigns have offline consequences which threaten the safety of journalists along with pushing them to silence and self-censorship. The Coalition For Women In Journalism urges Peruvian authorities to stop using libel laws in a targeted manner to harass investigative journalists.