- The facts that motivate the case against Vito Quiles
- The Congress Council and the sanction procedure
- Sumar claims and recent history
- The role of the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Communication
- The new regulatory framework and journalistic activity
THE Table of the Congress of Deputies will begin in the month of January the analysis of several files open to accredited journalists for alleged violations of the Rules of the House after its last reform.
Among them is the one that affects Vito Quilesjournalist from the Estado de Alarma, for having recorded the President of the Government with his cell phone, Pedro Sanchezwithin Congress without prior authorization, as political sources confirmed to Confidencial Digital.
The decision is framed in the application of new regulatory regime for media activity in Congressapproved after the reform of the section 98 of the Regulationswhich grants the Council the power to regulate accreditations, registrations and professional behavior within the parliamentary precinct.
The facts that motivate the case against Vito Quiles
The origin of the file is located on November 20when Vito Quiles recorded footage of Pedro Sánchez leaving the Constitutional Chamber of Congressafter a cultural event linked to the presentation of the series ‘Anatomy of a Moment’.
According to the complaint filed by the Association of Parliamentary Journalists (APP)the images have been captured without authority and through a mobile devicea practice expressly prohibited by current regulations.
Parliamentary sources indicate that he also recorded, on another later occasion, the former president José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero during an event organized in the House, which could lead to the opening a second file if we consider that different punishable acts occur.
The Congress Council and the sanction procedure
THE Congress Council is the organization responsible for admit the writings, assess whether there is a possible violation of the Regulations and decide on the opening of the procedure. The sanction procedure is offbeat: begins with the analysis of the facts, continues with the phase of instructionallows the presentation of allegations by the party concerned and ends with a reasoned resolution.
The planned sanctions range from warning until temporary suspension of accreditationdepending on the seriousness of the facts. In no case is the process automatic or immediate. The regulation establishes a maximum period of six months to resolve each file once launched.
Sumar claims and recent history
In addition to the Quiles case, the Commission will analyze other cases in January complaints filed by the Sumar parliamentary grouplinked to incidents committed by journalists during press conferences, as well as to a previous complaint which concerned the journalist Bertrand Ndongoof Digital Journalist.
In the latter case, Sumar reported a repeated interruption of the parliamentary spokesperson during an appearance, conduct characterized as serious violation in the new regulation. It was the first file opened after the entry into force of the new rules.
The role of the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Communication
Once the procedure has been initiated, the file is sent to the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Communicationbody created after the reform of the Regulations. Representatives of parliamentary groups participate and two journalists appointed by the APPwith voice but no vote during the final deliberation.
This Council has fifteen days to issue a report which is not binding, but which must be evaluated by the Council before adopting a final decision. He PP and Vox They have decided not to participate in this body, even if the procedure continues with the rest of the groups.
The new regulatory framework and journalistic activity
The reform of the Regulations, approved on July 22, 2025establishes in detail which professionals can record, in which spaces and under what conditions. Only the accredited photojournalists and television operators can capture images, always from authorized areas and with the prior authorization of the Communication Department. Publishers cannot save images “under any circumstances”.
The stated objective of the regulatory change is organize the growing volume of information activities in the House and guarantee the good institutional functioningwhile maintaining a balance with the right to information.
In January, the Congress Council will begin to effectively apply this framework, with several files on the table and an open debate on the limits, responsibilities and rules for the exercise of parliamentary journalism.
About The Author
