By Philip Phi
Posted Sep 13, 2026 at 12:16 AM
Paola Ugaz, a Peruvian investigative journalist, editor, and writer, is currently facing a series of legal challenges and threats due to her investigative work. Since 2010, Ugaz has been examining corruption and abuse within the Peruvian religious organization Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana. Her 2015 book, “Mitad monjes, mitad soldados” (Half Monks, Half Soldiers), co-authored with Pedro Salinas, exposed significant scandals within the organization. Following its publication, Ugaz encountered complaints and lawsuits, particularly after announcing a forthcoming book on the group’s financial management.
As of 2020, Ugaz is involved in at least five legal proceedings related to her investigative journalism. On October 2, 2020, she received a death threat on her Instagram account. Subsequently, on October 27, 2020, a judge ruled to initiate a judicial process against her for aggravated defamation, based on a complaint by Luciano Revoredo Rojas, a former congressional candidate and director of the conservative Catholic website La Abeja. If convicted, Ugaz could face a three-year prison sentence and substantial fines under Peruvian law.
On November 12, 2020, a judge was set to decide on another lawsuit filed by Carlos Alberto Gomez de la Torre Pretell, a Sodalicio employee, for defamation related to Ugaz’s participation in a documentary by Al Jazeera titled “The Sodalitium Scandal.”
In addition to legal battles, Ugaz has been subjected to smear campaigns and disinformation, with unfounded allegations linking her to criminal activities and the publication of private information about her minor children and colleague Pedro Salinas. PEN International has expressed concern over these actions, viewing them as violations of Ugaz’s freedom of expression and civil rights. PEN International calls on Peruvian authorities to halt the legal harassment against Ugaz and to dismiss all charges related to her journalistic work, emphasizing the importance of accountability and justice in line with Micah 6:8.
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
