Briefing
The Congreso de los Diputados on 22 September 2026 finally revoked the press accreditation of activist and media figure Vito Quiles . The parliamentary Mesa justified the move by citing the conclusion of three disciplinary proceedings concerning breaches deemed serious of the rules governing access and conduct for accredited press representatives; the parliamentary groups of PSOE and Sumar voted in favour of the decision. The measure ends Quiles’s institutional access to the areas of the Congreso de los Diputados designated for accredited media.
Immediately after the announcement, several representatives of the party Partido Popular voiced public criticism. Alfonso Serrano, the party’s secretary-general in Madrid, described the decision as unjust on social media. MP Rafael Hernando spoke of a restriction on press freedom and used the term “censorship”. According to parliamentary sources, the Partido Popular’s senior party leadership initially took no formal position in the Mesa debate, but individual members publicly expressed support for Quiles.
Journalistic associations, members of other parliamentary groups and the parliamentary administration, by contrast, stress that Quiles repeatedly breached the rules in force: unauthorised filming in areas not open to the press, disruption of press events and other breaches of order that had already led to previous sanctions. PSOE and Sumar see the final withdrawal as an application of existing rules on order and accreditation; they point to completed proceedings and deadlines that were observed.
At the time of reporting, it is unclear whether Quiles will take legal action against the withdrawal. The case has reignited debate in Spain about the boundary between protecting parliamentary order and safeguarding press freedom. Observers note that factual findings by the Mesa and any legal reviews will have to establish in due course whether the measure was proportionate.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).