Overview
- El Comercio reports the confirmed killing of Mitzar Castillejos in Ucayali, bringing this year’s toll to four alongside Gastón Medina in Ica, Raúl Celis in Iquitos and Juan Fernando Núñez in La Libertad.
- Press guilds say the victims were reporting on local or regional power and organized crime, and they note other reporters have survived armed attacks linked to corruption investigations.
- Journalist associations and regional reporting describe slow probes that target only material perpetrators, with no arrests of those who ordered the crimes.
- ANP and IPYS warn that formal protection mechanisms fail in practice, as Peru also fell 53 places in the global press freedom ranking reported by Jornada.
- With elections approaching in 2026, press organizations and editorials caution that escalating violence against reporters threatens accountability, with some commentary blaming recent congressional moves for weakening justice capacities.