Event Summary
At the end of September 2025, the 180th Period of Sessions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) was held in Asunción, an opportunity to supervise Paraguay’s compliance with judgments against the State and to analyze international cases. Among the cases in Paraguay is that of Santiago Leguizamón, a journalist murdered in 1991, which led to a judgement against the State in 2022, pointing out the lack of guarantees for the exercise of journalism and the defense of Human Rights and establishing the approval of a law for the protection of journalists and human rights defenders as one of the necessary reparation measures. In 2023, the respective bill was presented in Congress and is still under study, without final approval.
In response to the sessions of the Court, the Paraguayan Journalists’ Union (SPP) urged the approval of the protection law, while new attacks on journalists have been recorded in recent days. In late August, M. Portillo, in the Department of Guairá, received death threats via WhatsApp; in September, F. Costa, press chief of a municipality in the metropolitan area, and C. Benítez, a television and radio journalist, were attacked with bullets in their vehicle and their home, respectively; threats against journalist A. Gómez, in Pedro Juan Caballero, remain under investigation.
On 23 September 2025, IACtHR judges held a protocol meeting with congressional authorities during which the Law on the Protection of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders was addressed, highlighting its importance, in times of regression of democracy, given the work “carried out by the press to make transparent and provide information to citizens to control the abusive exercise of power, corruption.” The Senate later released a statement repudiating the attacks suffered by journalists. It was announced by the Senate’s Human Rights Commission that the bill already has a favorable opinion and would be discussed in the next 15 days. The adoption of this instrument was also subject of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and recommended in 2016 during the second cycle as well as in 2021 during the third cycle.
The Law on the Protection of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders is expected to strengthen prevention, protection and remedial actions for journalists and human rights defenders, as indicated by the journalists’ union. The draft law has been prepared with the participation of civil society organizations and has already been the subject of public hearings, as well as wide socialization in different parts of the country.