Censorship: Yamandú Orsi's government persecutes critical users on social media

Since mid-February 2026, multiple summonses to the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation have been issued to users of the platform X (formerly Twitter) for posts that contain criticism of figures in the government of President Yamandú Orsi and the Broad Front coalition.

These summonses, processed mainly through the Specialized Cybercrime Unit, respond to complaints filed by private individuals and political sectors linked to the Uruguayan left, including activists or sympathizers of the Communist Party of Uruguay (PCU), the Socialist Party, and the Popular Participation Movement (MPP).

The disputed expressions consist of critical comments about government policies, officials, or international alignments of the current administration.

Among the cases that have become public are:

- The case of Professor Antonio Romero Piriz (@RomeroPiriz), a 74-year-old retired teacher, who publicly reported that he had been summoned to testify before the Prosecutor's Office. According to his account, the questions focused on the motivations behind posts made during 2025 in which he criticized Broad Front authorities.

- The case of writer Felipe Villamayor, who was reported by radical feminist sectors with alleged ties to the PCU and to the political circle of Senator Constanza Moreira. This case also resulted in a prosecutorial summons.

These episodes have caused concern about a possible pattern of using the criminal justice system to address expressions of political dissent on social networks, instead of reserving it for serious criminal conduct.

Critics point out that these actions evoke practices observed in other countries with left-wing governments, such as Spain under Pedro Sánchez's administration, where judicial investigations have been pursued against users for criticism of the Executive Branch.

In Uruguay, some analysts interpret that the current government could be drawing inspiration from similar regulatory models regarding digital content.

The Communist Party of Uruguay has been particularly singled out in this context. Recent activities of the party stand out, such as the meeting of the secretary general and Senator Óscar Andrade with the Cuban ambassador in Montevideo at the beginning of 2026, as well as the sending of a delegation from the Communist Youth Union (UJC) to the island, where public support for the Cuban government was expressed.