It is a decision that has no precedent in Argentine democracy. This Thursday, April 23, Javier Milei's Administration blocked the entrance to the Casa Rosada for all accredited journalists. The president alleges "illegal espionage" and assures that the objective is "to guarantee national security." Below are the details of the questioned movement regarding press freedom in the country, which coincides with a report from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) that warns about cuts in human rights under the current Government.

First modification: 04/23/2026 - 19:09 Last modification: 04/23/2026 - 21:21

New escalation of the Administration of Javier Milei in front of the media.

Around 60 national journalists and accredited foreign correspondents found themselves this Thursday, April 23, with their fingerprint registration disabled, which allowed them entry to the Casa Rosada, the headquarters of the Government.

Some reporters assured that the measure took them by surprise, since they found out about the government decision when trying to enter the building, in the center of Buenos Aires, to carry out their work, as stated by Tatiana Scorciapino, journalist for the newspaper 'Tiempo Argentino'.

The fact is considered unprecedented since democracy in the country, and even unseen in the last dictatorship.

"Until now, we have not had any official communication about why the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei (sister and right hand of the president) decided to prohibit journalists from entering and arbitrarily close the room. Never in national democratic history has something of this magnitude occurred," Scorciapino told the EFE news agency.

Another accredited reporter who usually works for the Reuters news agency from the Casa Rosada also reported that he was not able to enter the Argentine Government headquarters this Thursday.

The decision was later confirmed by government spokesperson Javier Lanari on platform X, who stated that fingerprint access for journalists was eliminated as a "preventive measure" following a military complaint.

"The decision to remove the fingerprints of Casa Rosada's accredited journalists was taken preventively in response to Casa Militar's complaint for illegal espionage. The only purpose is to guarantee national security," he said.

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Why does the Argentine Government block journalists' access to the Casa Rosada?

The Argentine press highlights that there are two reasons indicated by the Administration: to investigate an alleged Russian leak in the media – for which journalists from seven media outlets had their entry to the room restricted for more than two weeks – and the criminal complaint against two journalists from the local channel 'Todo Noticias', known as 'TN', for alleged "illegal espionage."

This second accusation by the Government was made against the communicators Luciana Geuna and Ignacio Salerno, after the channel broadcast recorded images of areas of the government building, considered by the Milei Administration as a security violation in the Casa Rosada.

On Wednesday, just a day before journalists found the entrance blocked to their usual reporting site, Milei posted a photo of two journalists from the local television station TN, whom he called "disgusting trash."

"I would love to see those filthy scum who carry journalist credentials (95%) come out to defend what these two criminals did," said Milei, apparently referring to a recording broadcast by the network that showed the Chief of Staff, Manuel Adorni, walking through the corridors of the Casa Rosada.

Read alsoMilei creates an 'Official Response Office' in Argentina: information or persecution?

National security or violation of press freedom?

While the Milei Administration alleges that the measure seeks to “guarantee national security,” journalists accredited to cover the Executive, now with the entrance to the Casa Rosada blocked, have a different opinion.

Scorciapino considered that this is an attack by the Government not only against the press, but also against "citizens and their right to access information."

And since shortly after his swearing-in as president, in December 2023, Javier Milei has incessantly targeted the Argentine press, which he blames for an attempt to destabilize and a negative campaign against his management.

Since then, the far-right president has staged repeated public confrontations against reporters on social networks and in interviews. In fact, in dozens of daily posts per day, Milei repeats the acronym "NOLSALP," which stands for "We Don't Hate Journalists Enough."

A situation that has led press freedom groups to warn of a marked deterioration in relations between his Government and the media since he took office.

The measure has also been rejected by the human rights organization, Amnesty International. "For the first time in democracy, journalists reported that their accreditation was removed and the journalists' room at the Casa Rosada was closed in order to prohibit entry to the press. While there are alternatives, such as reinforcing security, the measure of closing a key space for access to public information is disproportionate, unjustified and violates the right to freedom of the press and expression," he stressed.

With Reuters, EFE and local media

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