The safety of journalists is an obligation of the State, not a choice for the reporter. The Right to Protest as a democratic pillar. We recall that social protest is a fundamental human right and the backbone of any democratic system. At the bottom of the statement, we leave links to the responses that the Foreign Correspondents' Association of the Argentine Republic (ACERA) and the Argentine Association of Press Photographers (ARGRA) did not delay in making public. Issued by the Ministry of National Security today (17/02/2026). Urgent statement: journalism is not cornered, freedom of the press is not negotiable. The undersigned organizations express our most energetic repudiation of the statement issued today by the Ministry of National Security. An operation that criminalizes dissent and seeks to hide the journalistic record of police action is an operation that attacks the constitutional order. We demand from the Ministry of National Security: The immediate repeal of any protocol that limits the free movement of the press. Full respect for the physical integrity of workers, without location-based conditioning. The cessation of threats of 'forceful action' that only seek to escalate conflict during the February 18, 19, and 20 demonstrations. Finally, we hold the Ministry of National Security responsible for any aggression, detention, or harm suffered by press workers and any person who exercises their right to film and document the activities of the security forces in public spaces. The right to document is not an assumed risk but a social function, and any violent action against those who exercise it will be the exclusive responsibility of those who govern today. Without a free press, there is no democracy. The Ministry of National Security intends to regulate the work of street journalism. This concept is a cynical attempt by the State to evade its political, legal, and criminal responsibility for the disproportionate use of force. Under the guise of 'protective measures,' the Government is trying to impose a regime of guardianship over journalistic work that violates basic constitutional guarantees and restricts society's right to be informed. A direct threat to Freedom of the Press. The establishment of an 'exclusive zone' on Hipólito Yrigoyen street for the press is not a security measure, but an attempt at confinement and indirect censorship. We warn that the Government is giving a 'blanket authorization' to the security forces to act against press workers, pretending that any injured or assaulted person outside the official zone will be solely responsible for their own integrity. The work of reporters and cameramen cannot be limited to an 'official corral'; the right to seek and disseminate information (Articles 14 and 32 of the National Constitution) requires freedom of movement to document events as they happen, especially in contexts of social protest. The dangerous concept of 'Self-Endangerment'. We denounce with special gravity the figure of 'self-endangerment' introduced by the Ministry. Freedom is not an official permit, it is a right. Here, links to statements from two associations: The Foreign Correspondents' Association of the Argentine Republic (ACER) https://corresponsalesenargentina.org/comunicados-de-prensa/ The Argentine Association of Press Photographers (ARGRA) https://www.instagram.com/p/DU4FNgukpor/?igsh=Yjd3bW85NHlxYno%3D In response, a group of 36 self-convened press photographers takes up the gauntlet to warn of the explicit threat directed against press freedom, and the right society has to be informed. The announcement that 'our Forces will act' against 'violent foci' functions as a mechanism of prior intimidation.
