Union leader and journalist killed as HRDs face attacks and criminalisation

General

New security measures raise concerns over militarisation, impunity and restrictions on fundamental freedoms

On 5th November 2024, President Dina Boluarte announced a new package of national security measures endorsed by the Council of State, a high-level body that brings together the heads of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. The plan, presented as a means to “strengthen the state and reinforce the work of law enforcement”, includes provisions granting exclusive jurisdiction to military and police courts over cases involving security forces who use firearms in the line of duty.

The package also introduces stricter migration controls, tightening entry and employment requirements for foreigners, and establishes a “special regime” for prosecuting minors accused of criminal acts. It further allows regional and municipal governments to reallocate public funds for security purposes and authorises the Ministry of the Interior to transfer additional resources to local administrations under states of emergency, a mechanism frequently used in Peru to grant expanded powers to security forces in areas of unrest.

Of particular concern, the Council’s statement on economic growth described “threats to the country’s economic model and extractive industry”, which includes large-scale mining and oil projects, as risks to national security. Environmental experts and former officials cautioned that this framing could legitimise the criminalisation of protests. Such language, they warned, may equate opposition to mining or environmental degradation with threats to the state itself.

Association

Construction union leader assassinated in Piura

On 7th March 2025, two unidentified gunmen shot and killed Jorge Antonio Otero Rentería, secretary general of the Construction Workers’ Union of Tacalá, in the district of Castilla, part of the northern Peruvian region of Piura. According to initial reports, the assailants had been waiting near Otero’s home and opened fire as he returned from a nearby shop. He was taken to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries. The Peruvian National Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

The Latin American Federation of Construction, Wood and Building Materials Workers (FLEMACON) condemned the killing and demanded justice. The organisation highlighted that at least 25 leaders of the Federation of Construction Civil Workers of Peru (FTCCP), one of the country’s largest trade unions representing construction workers, have been murdered in recent years. These killings are reportedly linked to organised criminal groups that seek to extort or control access to construction contracts and public works projects, a recurring problem in Peru’s construction sector.

FLEMACON urged Peruvian authorities to identify and prosecute both those who carried out the attack and those who ordered it, and to implement stronger measures to ensure the safety of construction workers and union leaders. The federation also called for coordinated regional action to address the growing risks faced by labour rights defenders across Latin America, where violence against union representatives remains a persistent concern.

Human rights defender attacked in Cajamarca

On 23rd December 2024, human rights defender Bacilio Mayta Chávez, president of the Rondas Campesinas e Indígenas Afectadas por el Proyecto Conga, was physically assaulted and nearly abducted by unidentified persons while travelling from Cajamarca to Huasmín. The attack occurred between the communities of Conga Buenos Aires and Jadibamba Bajo. The assailants reportedly beat and attempted to strangle Mayta before trying to force him into a vehicle. He was rescued by residents and later received medical treatment for his injuries.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders condemned the attack, describing it as retaliation for Mayta’s environmental and human rights work, including his opposition to illegal mining and the Conga mining project operated by Minera Yanacocha S.R.L., a consortium led by Newmont Mining Corporation, Compañía de Minas Buenaventura, and the International Finance Corporation.

The Conga project, suspended since 2012 following socio-environmental conflicts and a 2024 court order, has long been contested by local communities due to its potential impact on water sources and ecosystems in Cajamarca. The Observatory also noted that members of the Rondas Campesinas have faced recurrent threats and violence for defending territorial and environmental rights.

Human rights defender and artist criminalised

On 22nd November 2024, a Peruvian court issued a national arrest warrant against Leonor Amelia Estrada Francke (“Lola Estrada”), a human rights defender and artist, accused of “insulting national symbols” for a performance staged during the January 2023 “Toma de Lima” protests. The proceedings stem from her satirical character “Pina Balearte”, a symbolic critique of President Dina Boluarte and the state repression that followed the 2022 political crisis.

Since February 2023, Estrada has faced a criminal process that remains ongoing. On 16th September 2024, oral hearings began before the 20th Criminal Court of Lima, where both the Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Defence opposed holding public sessions, arguing that publicity could trigger media pressure and demonstrations outside the court, contrary to standard practice in public-interest cases. Prosecutors have sought a 16-month prison sentence, a fine, and civil damages. Estrada, currently residing in Glasgow, fears that authorities may request an INTERPOL Red Notice, which would prevent her return to Peru.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders denounced the case as politically motivated criminalisation, noting that the evidence is based solely on a short video of the performance. It also urged the Peruvian Prosecutor’s Office to withdraw the charges and cancel the arrest warrant, stressing that the use of criminal law to sanction artistic and political expression violates international standards on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Lastly, it called on the government to end the broader pattern of judicial harassment and excessive use of force against human rights defenders and Indigenous protesters since the 2023 demonstrations.

Ombudsman's Office calls for greater protection for human rights defenders

On 9th December 2024, Peru’s Ombudsman’s Office, an autonomous institution mandated to protect fundamental rights and oversee public administration, called on the state to strengthen the Intersectoral Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. The body highlighted persistent shortcomings in the mechanism’s implementation, including insufficient staffing, limited funding, inadequate logistics, and lack of awareness among public officials. It urged the government to allocate adequate resources, ensure effective monitoring of protection measures, and provide training to authorities at all levels to improve coordination and timely responses to risks faced by defenders.

Between 2020 and 2024, the Ombudsman’s Office documented 21 killings of human rights defenders and 117 cases of threats in 2023 alone. It noted that 63 per cent of incidents occurred in Peru’s Amazonian regions, where defenders primarily protect the environment and Indigenous people’s rights against illegal logging, mining and drug trafficking.

In 2024, the institution registered 39 new attacks, including two suspected killings in the Madre de Dios region, a hotspot of environmental conflict, which remain under investigation. Most victims were environmental and Indigenous rights defenders targeted by actors linked to illegal economic activities or land disputes.

Peaceful Assembly

Persistent socio-environmental and community protests mark early 2025

Between January and March 2025, Peru experienced sustained demonstrations, averaging around 200 protests per month, according to the Ombudsman’s Office, which publishes monthly reports on social conflicts nationwide. The total number of recorded conflicts fluctuated slightly: 202 in January, 183 in February and 224 in March. It remained concentrated in the Amazonian and Andean regions of Loreto, Puno and Cusco, where Indigenous and rural communities have long opposed extractive industry projects and demanded greater access to state services such as healthcare, education and infrastructure.

Socio-environmental disputes, largely linked to mining, oil and gas projects, continued to represent over one quarter of all active conflicts, confirming a consistent trend of environmental and territorial disputes as the main drivers of unrest. These were followed by protests related to labour conditions, local governance failures, and opposition to infrastructure projects. The Ombudsman’s Office reported that more than 60 per cent of active conflicts, including protests, had involved some level of violence, often before the establishment of state-led dialogue mechanisms.

Although no protest-related deaths were registered during the first quarter of 2025, the Ombudsman’s Office documented isolated incidents of injuries and temporary road blockades. For example, on 24th January 2025, rural communities from Santa Inés, Sallcca Santana and Callqui Chico, along with transport workers and residents of Huancavelica, announced an indefinite strike to begin on 3rd February. The strike was organised in response to the government’s failure to approve the technical plan for the long-demanded paving of the Santa Inés–Rumichaca and Santa Inés–Huancavelica (Libertadores) roads, key routes connecting remote rural areas in the central Andean region to the provincial capital. Poor road infrastructure has long affected the mobility, trade and access to essential services of rural populations in this highland region.

On 3rd February, a multi-stakeholder meeting took place at the Huancavelica Provincial Municipality, with the participation of Provías Nacional (the national road agency under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, or MTC), the Office for Social Dialogue of the Council of Ministers (PCM), the Regional Prefecture, and the Ombudsman’s Office. During the meeting, clashes broke out between protesters and the National Police, resulting in four people injured.

Later that day, government officials and some community representatives reached an agreement to restore road transit. However, the Huancavelica Defence Front (Frente de Defensa de Huancavelica), a local community coalition advocating for regional development, rejected the agreement, arguing that it lacked concrete guarantees. The group continued demonstrations on 4th February, demanding the presence of the Minister of Transport to negotiate directly. During these renewed protests, two civilians were injured by police and received medical attention.

Protests to denounce rising extortion and insecurity

On 6th February 2025, public transport workers across Peru held a nationwide strike. The mobilisation was organised by urban transport unions to demand stronger state action against rising crime, extortion and targeted attacks affecting drivers, conductors and passengers.

According to Julio Campos, a sector leader, an estimated 80 per cent of transport workers are forced to pay extortion fees, often under threats of violence, while operating under precarious and unsafe conditions. Workers and employers jointly urged the government and Congress to adopt urgent security measures and improve working protections within the transport sector.

Despite widespread participation, some unions refrained from joining the strike, alleging that the protest had been politically influenced. The strike followed a series of similar actions initiated in September and October 2024, when transport unions began mobilising over the authorities’ failure to curb criminal networks and ensure safety for public transport workers nationwide.

Anger over Peru’s worsening wave of extortion and street violence reached boiling point in March 2025. On 21st March 2025, thousands of people across the country joined the National March against Violence, calling for effective government measures to address the country’s growing insecurity. In Lima, clashes were reported on Avenida Abancay, where protesters and police confronted each other, leaving two police officers and one civilian injured. The injured protester was taken to Dos de Mayo Hospital for medical care.

That same day, Congress dismissed Interior Minister Juan José Santiváñez for failing to reduce violent crime. Despite this move, thousands of people marched again on 28th March in Lima and other cities, expressing ongoing frustration with public safety policies. Unions subsequently announced plans for a general strike at the end of April, warning that the government’s inadequate response continues to endanger both public safety and labour conditions nationwide.

LGBTQI+ groups protest discriminatory remarks by congresswoman

On 3rd March 2025, LGBTQI+ activists and allied organisations held a sit-in outside the Congress to protest hate speech and demand accountability from public officials. The demonstration, organised by the LGBTI Observatory, the Peruvian LGBTI Network, and Marcha del Orgullo, was supported by Congresswoman Susel Paredes. It ended in clashes with police, as protesters reported being pushed and physically restrained by security forces.

The protest followed remarks made on 27th February by Congresswoman Milagros Jáuregui de Aguayo, president of the Congressional Women and Family Commission, who questioned same-sex relationships during a public event. She described them as lacking “true love” and being driven by “lust and lasciviousness”, and referred to “gender ideology” as a “cultural fight”, claiming people should not “act like animals”.

Her comments drew condemnation from civil society. On 28th February, the sexual and reproductive rights organisation Promsex denounced the statements as baseless and discriminatory, urging authorities to avoid spreading narratives that violate human dignity. Activists and rights groups argued that such rhetoric reinforces intolerance and contributes to a climate of hostility against the LGBTQI+ community.

Following the protests, Congresswoman Susel Paredes filed a constitutional complaint against Jáuregui, asserting that her remarks breached Peru’s constitutional principles of equality and non-discrimination and incited prejudice against sexual and gender minorities.

Communities in Arequipa and Cusco launch indefinite protests against mining projects

Since 17th February 2025, residents of the Tambo Valley in Arequipa, a major agricultural region in southern Peru, began an indefinite strike to oppose the potential reactivation of the Tía María and La Tapada copper mining projects, operated by Southern Copper Corporation. Protesters warned that the projects pose serious threats to local water sources and agriculture, the valley’s main sources of livelihood, and accused the government of prioritising mining interests over environmental protection and community welfare. Community leaders in the Tambo Valley recalled that 97 per cent of residents rejected the Tía María project in a 2009 local consultation.

At the same time, since 14th February 2025, members of the Ccollpa Ccashahui community in Chumbivilcas province, Cusco, have maintained a continuous protest demanding the definitive cancellation of the Crespo mining project, owned by Grupo Apumayo. The community alleged that mining exploration began without prior consultation, as required by national and international law, and denounced earlier tailings leaks that contaminated the Santo Tomás River.

Both mobilisations centre on the protection of water, land, and agricultural livelihoods, and denounce what local organisations describe as the government’s systematic prioritisation of extractive investments over environmental and human rights. Civil society organisations reported heavy police deployments in both regions.

On 13th February, during the Arequipa strike, the Islay Provincial Prosecutor’s Office issued formal warnings to environmental defenders and community leaders, urging them to “avoid acts that disturb public order”. Human rights organisations FEDEPAZ (the Ecumenical Foundation for Peace and Development) and Red Muqui condemned the measure as a form of judicial harassment aimed at criminalising peaceful protest, noting that similar actions had previously been deemed unconstitutional by Peruvian courts.

Farmers in Piura protest El Algarrobo mining project amid reports of police violence

On 28th February 2025, residents of Tambogrande, a rural district in the northern Peruvian region of Piura, held a district-wide strike to oppose the El Algarrobo mining project, recently awarded to the mining company Buenaventura by ProInversión, Peru’s state agency responsible for promoting private investment.

The protest organised by local farmers, community leaders, and the Frente de Defensa Urbano de Tambogrande (FREDUR) sought to defend water sources and agricultural livelihoods in a region heavily dependent on fruit production and small-scale farming. According to the Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros (OCM), many local businesses, including the central market, joined the strike in solidarity, effectively paralysing activity across the town.

Clashes erupted when police used tear gas and non-lethal weapons to disperse protesters blocking the Sullana–Tambogrande highway, reportedly injuring at least four protesters. Five farmers were arbitrarily detained in La Tranca and transferred to the El Obrero police station in Sullana, where lawyers later denounced irregularities. A habeas corpus petition was filed to protect the detainees’ constitutional rights to due process and personal liberty. As of early March, authorities had not publicly commented on the allegations.

The protest revived a long-standing local resistance to mining in Tambogrande, which has historically been one of Peru’s most emblematic cases of community-led environmental defence. In 2002, Tambogrande became the first town in Latin America to hold a local referendum rejecting a mining project, when over 98 per cent of residents voted against operations by the Canadian company Manhattan Minerals, forcing its withdrawal.

Artisanal miners protest proposed MAPE Law

On 22nd November 2024, over 60,000 artisanal miners gathered outside the Congress of the Republic in Lima, setting up tents along Avenida Abancay, one of the main avenues leading to Congress, to protest the proposed Bill on Small-Scale and Artisanal Mining (known as the MAPE Law). The protest, organised by the Confederation of Artisanal Miners of Peru (Confemin), remained largely peaceful, with participants urging lawmakers to protect the rights of small-scale miners currently in the process of formalisation and prevent mass exclusion from the legal framework.

Protesters demanded that the government extend the deadline for registration in the Integral Register for Mining Formalisation (REINFO), warning that its expiry on 31st December 2024 could leave around 95 per cent of miners without legal status. Protesters also accused authorities of criminalising artisanal mining by equating it with illegal mining, and threatened to launch a nationwide strike if their demands were ignored.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem), the bill would permit any individual or legal entity to engage in mining activities provided they meet environmental and legal standards, and would include a transition period for pending applications under REINFO. However, environmental and labour experts have identified serious implementation challenges, including limited state capacity for monitoring compliance, insufficient funding for cleaner technologies, and persistent confusion between informal and illegal mining, which involve distinct legal definitions in Peru.

Indigenous communities hold nationwide mobilisation against mining and call for protection of the Amazon

On 1st and 2nd December 2024, Indigenous communities from across the Peruvian Amazon held the “National Action Day: Amazon Free from Mining and Extractivism”, coordinated by the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP), together with Autonomous Territorial Governments (GTA), regional federations and Indigenous guards. The mobilisation sought to draw national and international attention to the escalating impacts of both legal and illegal gold mining on Amazonian territories and Indigenous rights. Demonstrations took place simultaneously in local communities and in Lima, where Indigenous delegations also met with legislators, embassies and UN agencies to present 16 urgent demands calling for immediate state action to halt environmental degradation and protect affected communities.

The actions included peaceful marches, sit-ins outside state institutions, and the Amazonian Social and Cultural Forum held at AIDESEP’s headquarters, which brought together Indigenous leaders, academics, journalists, and environmental organisations. The demands emphasised state investment in Indigenous bioeconomies, effective police action against illegal mining, cancellation of the REINFO registry, prohibition of new mining concessions without prior consultation, and international monitoring under the Minamata and Palermo Conventions to address mercury contamination and criminal networks linked to gold trafficking.

Lawmakers Ruth Luque and Sigrid Bazán expressed support for including Indigenous organisations in legislative debates on the MAPE Law, urging the government to ensure traceability of gold exports and public health monitoring in contaminated areas.

The mobilisation concluded with a brief meeting between Indigenous leaders and Congress President Eduardo Salhuana, who pledged to include Indigenous representatives in future legislative discussions related to mining and Indigenous rights. The initiative marked one of the most significant nationwide Indigenous mobilisations in recent years, underscoring ongoing tensions between environmental protection, extractive policies and civic participation in Peru.

Expression

Journalist murdered after reporting on corruption and extortion in Ica

On 20th January 2025, journalist Gastón Medina, owner and director of Cadena Sur TV in Ica, was shot dead outside his home by a gunman on a motorcycle as he was leaving to record his midday programme. He was taken to a local hospital but died from his injuries. Edwin Uchuya Lazarte, administrator of Radio Nova and driver of the vehicle waiting for Medina, was also injured. The government stated that the journalist’s family received legal and protection measures.

Civil society organisations reported that Medina had received multiple death threats in the past and that his media outlet had been attacked with an explosive in September 2022. He had recently aired reports alleging corruption within the regional government, the provincial municipality, and the judiciary, as well as extortion in public transport. His killing marks the first murder of a journalist in Peru in nearly a decade.

The National Association of Journalists (ANP) condemned the killing and urged a prompt, thorough investigation, stressing the likely connection between the murder and Medina’s reporting.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (RELE) affirmed that such attacks constitute the most extreme form of censorship and called on Peruvian authorities to ensure accountability and protection for journalists.

Journalist’s motorcycle set on fire in suspected retaliation for critical reporting in Ayacucho

On 28th March 2025, journalist Óscar Tinoco Huamaní, from Radio Estación Wari in Huamanga (Ayacucho), was the victim of an arson attack when unidentified individuals set fire to his motorcycle parked outside his home. A bottle containing traces of fuel was found at the scene, suggesting that the act was deliberate.

The incident occurred amid a broader pattern of harassment and intimidation against Tinoco and his radio station. On 31st December 2024, a group of people, reportedly including members of the Frente de Defensa del Pueblo de Ayacucho (FREDEPA), gathered outside the station, shouting insults and striking its door. In the weeks preceding the attack, Tinoco had publicly criticised the actions of Ayacucho’s Mayor Juan Carlos Arango, regional Governor Wilfredo Oscorima, and FREDEPA. He was also subjected to online attacks from accounts linked to the organisation and its affiliates. Tinoco filed a police complaint and is collecting video evidence to help identify the perpetrators.

Journalist receives death threats after reporting on sexual abuse case

On 20th January 2025, journalist Martín Peregrino Rojas, from Otra Prensa and El Nuevo Diario, reported receiving death threats and harassment from businessman Luis Alberto Tapia after publishing an investigation on the non-consensual recording of intimate videos of women. The report included testimonies from three victims, one of whom described being intoxicated and losing consciousness before being filmed.

Following publication, Tapia allegedly sent Peregrino additional explicit videos by mistake and later threatened him through private messages and phone calls, saying, “I’ll find you and run you over” and “You messed with me, I’ll beat you up”. The journalist also reported ongoing insults and late-night calls from unknown numbers.

Cajamarca court president threatens legal action against journalists reporting on corruption probe

In March 2025, Ricardo Sáenz Pascual, president of the Cajamarca Superior Court of Justice, allegedly threatened to take legal action against several local journalists who had reported on preliminary investigations by the Public Prosecutor’s Office into alleged corruption involving him and other magistrates.

During a press conference attended by Supreme Court President Janet Tello, Sáenz Pascual confirmed the existence of the investigation, based on testimony from protected witnesses, but denied any wrongdoing and described the allegations as false. Local media outlets had reported that the Specialised Prosecutor’s Office against Organised Crime identified him as the alleged leader of a criminal network accused of accepting bribes in exchange for judicial favours.

The Institute for Press and Society (IPYS) condemned the threat, urging the judiciary to uphold journalists’ right to report on matters of public interest and warning that judicial intimidation of the press undermines transparency and freedom of expression.

Woman journalist targeted in coordinated online hate campaign

On 13th February 2025, journalist Clara Elvira Ospina, founder of Epicentro.TV, reported being targeted in a coordinated online hate campaign marked by misogynistic insults and harassment on social media. The attacks, which intensified over the previous week, reportedly originated from anonymous accounts allegedly linked to public officials and individuals receiving state funds, who used their platforms to discredit her for her political views and gender.

The National Human Rights Coordinator (CNDDHH) condemned the harassment and called on authorities to ensure journalists can work without intimidation. The feminist collective “Las Tejedoras” also denounced the attacks as an example of systemic misogyny against women in public life.

President accuses media of destabilisation amid rising official hostility toward the press

On 3rd March 2025, President Dina Boluarte accused television networks América Televisión and Canal N of conspiring with prosecutors to destabilise her government, alleging that the media was promoting a “coup”. Her remarks followed a raid by the Attorney General’s Office on the home of Interior Minister Juan José Santiváñez, who was under investigation for alleged abuse of authority. Boluarte publicly defended the minister while denouncing both the press and the Public Prosecutor’s Office for what she described as coordinated political attacks.

The controversy deepened when Santiváñez admitted during a televised interview that he had obtained access to a journalistic investigation implicating him in corruption before it aired, raising concerns over improper interference in media content. His admission, alongside Boluarte’s accusations, reflected an escalating pattern of hostility toward the press and erosion of institutional transparency, as documented by the EU SEE Network.

In a separate and controversial statement, the Ministry of Women argued that critical reporting fostered “aggression and intolerance toward women”, implying that such coverage should not be protected under freedom of expression. Civil society viewed this as a troubling sign of institutional alignment with anti-media rhetoric.

Bill requiring media to disclose funding sources raises censorship concerns

On 20th February 2025, Congresswoman María Antonieta Agüero of the Perú Libre party introduced a bill that would compel all media outlets to disclose annually the sources, amounts, and conditions of their domestic and international funding. The bill, formally titled the Law on Transparency in the Ownership, Financing and Activities of Media Service Providers, would require outlets to submit detailed financial reports to the Executive branch, granting it the power to compile and publish the information in a public registry and to sanction non-compliance, including through suspension or closure.

The proposal sparked broad criticism from press freedom organisations, who warned it could be used as a tool for state control and retaliation against independent media. The Peruvian Press Council (CPP) described the measure as “regulatory and persecutory”, arguing that it appeared politically motivated against outlets that had reported on alleged irregularities linked to Agüero.

The ANP stated that, while transparency is a legitimate principle, such measures risk becoming mechanisms of pressure and censorship, particularly in a context where political actors seek to discredit or silence critical voices.

Critics view the bill as part of an escalating trend of hostility toward the media, following repeated attacks and stigmatising discourse by senior officials against the press, including President Dina Boluarte’s accusations of “coup plotting” by television networks in early March 2025.

Peru records highest number of attacks against journalists in two decades

In 2024, Peru recorded 392 attacks against journalists and media outlets, the highest figure in the 21st century, according to the ANP's annual report. The total exceeded the 352 cases in 2023 and 303 in 2022, confirming a steady deterioration of press freedom in the country.

Harassment and intimidation remained the most common forms of aggression (153 cases), followed by physical and verbal assaults (70) and stigmatising speech (52), the latter increasingly used by officials to discredit the press. The report also documented judicial intimidation (46), restrictions on access to information (44), and labour reprisals (14), the highest in recent years, alongside four arbitrary detentions and three robberies.

Two critical peaks of hostility were identified. The first, between March and May 2024, followed revelations in the so-called Rolex case, when President Dina Boluarte and Ayacucho Governor Wilfredo Oscorima reacted aggressively to media scrutiny. Boluarte dismissed journalists’ questions as “tendentious”, while Oscorima labelled the press “bad people who seek to cause harm.”

The second occurred in October–November, when Boluarte accused the media of practising “image terrorism”, a statement echoed by Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén and Congressman Waldemar Cerrón. During this period, police also attacked several reporters covering protests by transport workers against organised crime.

Public officials were identified as the main perpetrators (177 cases), followed by individuals (129) and security forces (63). Digital reporters were the most affected (170 cases), followed by television (94), print (69) and radio journalists (59). Women journalists represented 19 per cent of victims, facing ongoing gender-based online harassment and intimidation, while media outlets accounted for 34 per cent of all cases.