[Unofficial translation provided by BHRRC]

‘Journalist who denounced irregularities in the Chancay Megaport is detained’, 05 November 2024

...The communicator Judith Marlene Apolinar Meléndez was arrested in front of the Municipality of Chancay on the morning of Tuesday November 5th, according to local media in the city of Chancay, located to the north of Lima.

According to the local media, Apolinar had an active requisition for an alleged case of defamation presented by the company Cosco Shipping, which is in charge of the works of the Chancay Megaport.

It should be remembered that the communicator is also a member of the board of the Frente de defensa por la vida y dignidad de Chancay (Front for the defence of life and dignity of Chancay). She has been denouncing for years the alleged manoeuvres and corruption behind the contracts and concessions for the execution of the Megaport. Likewise, through her programme Diálogo digital, she has broadcast various complaints from the communities affected by the mega-port works, such as the cracks in the houses caused by the explosions, as well as the complaints of the affected artisanal fishermen, among others.

At the same time, Apolinar has denounced on several occasions through social networks that she has been sued and threatened for having made these complaints publicly.

...Apolinar had been summoned today in a strange way by the police to the main square of Chancay to talk about a complaint she had made about the presence of street trading outside her home. It was there that she was arrested for the defamation case against her.

‘According to Judith Apolinar and her defence, she was never notified of a summons to her home, which is why we are very surprised by the way this arrest was made’, commented Arce...