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📰 PRESS · DEMOCRACY · HUMAN RIGHTS · ARGENTINA Conflict with the Press: Casa Rosada closes the journalists' room FOPEA appeals to the IACHR · Unprecedented event in Argentine democracy 📅 April 28, 2026 • ⏱ Reading time: 5–7 minutes • 🖊 Verified wording |
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🔑 SEO: FOPEA IACHR journalists Casa Rosada | press freedom Argentina 2026 | Milei accredited press | Casa Rosada press room closing | Luciana Geuna TN espionage | IACHR Freedom for Freedom of Expression Argentina | Freedom of expression Milei |
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🚨 BREAKING NEWS — April 27/28, 2026 On Monday, April 27, the IACHR's Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression) made public its concern about the restriction of access to accredited journalists at the Casa Rosada. He urged the Argentine State to review the measure and demanded that it be adjusted to international standards of freedom of expression. |
For the first time in decades, the corridors of the Casa Rosada woke up without a journalistic presence. What began as a criminal complaint against two TN journalists led to the total closure of the historic Balcarce 50 Press Room, unleashing an institutional crisis unprecedented in Argentina's democratic history and an escalation that has already reached the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
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🖼️ REFERENCE IMAGE Casa Rosada Press Room — File image (La Nación): lanacion.com.ar — Milei closes the press room (see note with images) fopea.org — Official FOPEA communiqué with institutional image |
📅 Timeline of the conflict: from video to total closure
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Date |
Fact |
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Sunday 19/04 |
The program And tomorrow what? of TN issues a report filmed with smart glasses in the internal corridors of the Casa Rosada. Journalists Luciana Geuna and Ignacio Salerno are its protagonists. |
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Tuesday 22/04 |
The Military House, headed by Brigadier General Sebastián Ibáñez, filed a criminal complaint in Federal Court No. 4 (Judge Ariel Lijo) for alleged disclosure of political and military secrets (Articles 222 and 223 of the Criminal Code, sentences of 1 to 6 years). The accusation includes Geuna, Salerno, producers and directors of TN. |
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Thursday 24/04 |
The Secretariat of Communication, in charge of Javier Lanari, removes the fingerprints of some 60 accredited journalists from the biometric system of access to the Casa Rosada. The historic Press Room is empty for the first time in decades. Milei describes the measure as "excellent" and calls journalists in X "disgusting garbage." |
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Thursday 24/04 |
Opposition legislators (Paulón, Selva) try unsuccessfully to obtain official explanations at Casa Rosada. FOPEA issues a statement describing the measure as "extremely serious institutional." Euronews describes it as the first total veto of the press in Argentina's democratic history. |
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Thursday 24/04 |
An opposition deputy files a criminal complaint against Milei, Adorni, Lanari and Ibáñez for abuse of authority and restriction of freedom of the press. |
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Friday 25/04 |
Monsignor Jorge Lozano (Catholic Church) meets with accredited journalists in Plaza de Mayo, gives statements and asks for a "prompt solution." FOPEA announces that it is requesting an opinion from constitutionalists. |
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Thursday 23/04 |
FOPEA presents a formal complaint to the IACHR in Washington, addressed to President Edgar Stuardo Ralón Orellana. |
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Monday 27/04 |
The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression) of the IACHR makes public its concern and urges the Argentine State to review the restriction. There is no sign of a retreat from the government. |
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Tuesday 28/04 |
Manuel Adorni presents his first management report to the Chamber of Deputies. The conflict remains unresolved. |
📹 The trigger: smart glasses in the corridors of Balcarce 50
On Sunday, April 19, the program "And tomorrow what?", hosted by Luciana Geuna and broadcast by the Todo Noticias (TN) signal, broadcast a report designed to portray the daily functioning of the Casa Rosada and the power dynamics between the sectors of the Government: those close to Karina Milei and those close to Santiago Caputo.
The chronicler Ignacio Salerno made the tour using smart glasses with a built-in camera. During the report, the journalist himself explained that he used this device so that viewers could see what a day inside the government palace is like. The video showed common corridors, classrooms, the office of Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni and that of Eduardo "Lule" Menem, Karina Milei's bishop.
For the Government, this material constituted a violation of security regulations. The Military House maintained in its criminal complaint that the filming exposed surveillance systems, communication equipment and access control devices, providing intelligence on the President's movements. The judicial text invoked articles 222 and 223 of the Penal Code, which contemplate penalties of one to six years in prison for obtaining or revealing political or military secrets.
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"It is a political decision that challenges all of us who deeply believe in freedom of expression and democracy." — Luciana Geuna, TN journalist — Disclaimer on her program (Sunday 04/27/2026) |
🏛️ The official response: total closure and rhetorical escalation
The government's reaction was immediate and of unprecedented forcefulness. On Thursday, April 24, without prior notice, the Ministry of Communication removed the fingerprints of around 60 accredited journalists from different national and international media from the biometric access system. The extensions to accreditations that had been in force since 2025 were suspended indefinitely.
President Javier Milei himself reacted through his account on the social network X with a message that set off alarms in newsrooms and press defense organizations: he described journalists as "disgusting garbage" and "criminals", and validated messages from libertarian accounts that affirmed that Argentines do not need a press room in the Casa Rosada. Milei described the closure of the room as an "excellent" measure. He later posted photos of journalists on his social networks, in what FOPEA described as an act of personal harassment.
The measure did not come out of nowhere: approximately three weeks before the total shutdown, the government had already withdrawn accreditations from journalists from C5N, A24, El Destape, Ámbito Financiero, Tiempo Argentino and Radio La Patriada, linking them to an alleged Russian intelligence operation in 2024. According to FOPEA, by the end of 2025, 67 journalists had lost permanent accreditations in the Casa Rosada.
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⚖️ The denounced and the charges Complaint by the Military House against journalists (Federal Court No. 4 - Judge Ariel Lijo - Prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita): • Luciana Geuna (host, TN) • Ignacio Salerno (accredited reporter, TN) • Producers and directors of the TN / Grupo Clarín channel Charges invoked: Articles 222 and 223 of the Criminal Code – Disclosure of political and military secrets (sentences of 1 to 6 years). Opposition counter-complaint (Opposition deputy): • Javier Milei (President) • Manuel Adorni (Chief of Staff) • Javier Lanari (Secretary of Communication) • General Sebastián Ibáñez (Military House) Charges: Abuse of authority, breach of duties and restriction of the exercise of freedom of the press. |
🌎 The complaint before the IACHR: Argentina under the international magnifying glass
On Thursday, April 23, the Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA) filed a formal complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, addressed to the president of the IACHR, Edgar Stuardo Ralón Orellana. The document details that the official decision to disqualify press workers who cover the Executive Branch in a generalized manner violates international standards of freedom of expression.
The presentation was not an isolated movement. It gives continuity to the proposals that FOPEA initiated in November 2025 in Miami, during a public hearing of the Commission's 194th Session. At that time, the entity had already warned commissioners about the risks to journalism in Argentina. The IACHR had also received a complaint from the Association of Argentine Journalistic Entities (ADEPA) that same month for "censorship."
On Monday, April 27, the IACHR's Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (SLR) made public its concern and urged the Argentine State to review the restriction, demanding that it be adjusted to inter-American standards. It is the first formal international response to the conflict and a diplomatic blow of relevance for the government.
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"Preventing the press from working in the Casa Rosada limits the possibility for society to know and understand the activity of its rulers." — FOPEA — Official Statement, April 23, 2026 |
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"The prohibition of the entry of people with names and surnames to cover the Casa Rosada constitutes a very strong advance against freedom of powers and democracy in Argentina." — Fernando Stanich, head of FOPEA — Radio, April 2026 |
📣 The map of reactions: opponents, Church and unions
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Actor |
Position / Action |
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🌎 IACHR / Special Rapporteurship for Freedom of Expression |
It expressed public concern on 27/04 and urged the State to bring the measure into line with international standards of freedom of expression. |
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📰 FOPEA |
Complaint to the IACHR (04/23), described the measure as "extremely serious institutional" and analyzes new legal actions. He requested an opinion from constitutionalists. |
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📺 ADEPA |
He filed a complaint with the IACHR in November 2025 for "censorship." He supported FOPEA's position. |
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⛪ Catholic Church |
Msgr. Jorge Lozano (Communication Commission, Episcopal Conf.) met twice with journalists in Plaza de Mayo and asked for a "prompt solution." |
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🏛️ Opposition deputies |
Esteban Paulón (United Provinces) summoned journalists in the Chamber of Deputies. Sabrina Selva tried unsuccessfully to obtain an audience with Lanari. They describe the measure as "unconstitutional". |
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⚖️ Opposition criminal complaint |
Filed against Milei, Adorni, Lanari and Ibáñez for abuse of authority and restriction of freedom of the press. |
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🌐 Euronews / AP |
Euronews described the event as the first veto of access to journalists in Argentina's democratic history. |
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🏛️ Government / Milei |
He ratified the closure. There are no signs of reversal. Adorni presents a management report in the Chamber of Deputies on 28/04. |
📜 Context: the escalation since December 2023
The conflict between the government of Javier Milei and the press did not begin with TN's lenses. Since the inauguration of the president in December 2023, the tension has been escalating under various modalities: public attacks on the reputation of journalists, accusations that journalism is part of "the caste", the installation of the narrative that most journalism is corrupt and the selective withdrawal of accreditations.
In March 2024, Milei accused journalists of being infiltrated agents of Cuba and Venezuela. In the following months, selective restrictions and attacks on press workers during operations were recorded. By the end of 2025, according to FOPEA, 67 professionals had already lost their permanent accreditations at Casa Rosada.
The total closure of April 24, 2026 represents, according to the historical journalists of the government headquarters themselves, an unprecedented event in Argentine history, even in the face of the military dictatorship of 1976–1983. The head of FOPEA, Fernando Stanich, remarked that although pressures on the press have existed in different administrations, it had never been prohibited to enter the main area of operation of the Executive Branch by name and surname.
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🔑 The data of the conflict in figures • 60 accredited journalists excluded from the Casa Rosada (04/24/2026) • 67 journalists had lost permanent accreditations since December 2023 (until the end of 2025, according to FOPEA) • 1st time in Argentina's democratic history that total access to the press has been banned • 194th Period of Sessions of the IACHR (Nov. 2025): first formal proposal by FOPEA • IACHR complaint: presented on 23/04/2026 by FOPEA • RELE response: public on 27/04/2026 • Media previously affected: C5N, A24, El Destape, Ámbito, Tiempo Argentino, Radio La Patriada |
⚖️ What international standards say
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and its Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression have repeatedly established that the access of the press to government spaces is a basic condition for the exercise of freedom of expression and citizen control. Limiting such access across the board, without proportionate justification or reliance on reasonable security standards, constitutes an illegitimate restriction on the right to information.
FOPEA maintains that the Casa Rosada, as the seat of the country's political power, has the character of an institutional public space. Its closure to the press not only affects journalists but also directly affects the right of citizens to access information about government acts, a pillar of the democratic system recognized by the American Convention on Human Rights.
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"This level of exposure is incredible; In an institutional context, if it is considered that there was a crime, justice should be allowed to speak, but not prevent the exercise of journalism." — Paula Moreno, Secretary of FOPEA — Portal Misiones, April 2026 |
🔗 Verified Sources and References
1. FOPEA — Official Communiqué: Complaint to the IACHR (Primary Source)
2. APF Digital — FOPEA denounces to the IACHR the ban on entry to the Casa Rosada
4. Profile — Who are the two journalists denounced by the Military House?
5. El Economista — What the Casa Rosada report showed
6. The Capital Mar del Plata — FOPEA denounces the restriction of access to the IACHR
7. Report 24 — Repudiation of the government's authoritarian turn on journalism grows
8. LT3 — Information blackout at the Casa Rosada: FOPEA warns of unprecedented measure
9. BAE Negocios — The Military House denounced journalists for filming inside the Rosada
10. Cibercuba — Milei closes the Casa Rosada press room and sparks controversy
11. Portal Misiones — FOPEA's harsh defense of the government's ban
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📰 Conflict with the Press · Casa Rosada · April 28, 2026 📰 Sources: FOPEA, APF Digital, Perfil, El Economista, La Capital MdP, Reporte 24, LT3, BAE Negocios, Cibercuba, Portal Misiones |