The Congress will study sanctioning Vito Quiles and Bertrand Ndongo this Wednesday: up to three months without press accreditation

The Bureau of the Congress of Deputies foresees approving this Wednesday the temporary withdrawal of the press accreditations of Vito Quiles and Bertrand Ndongo, two agitators from the pseudomedia 'EDA TV' and 'Periodista Digital'. Parliamentary sources assure that the Bureau of the Congress of Deputies will approve the sanction based on the report of the investigating lawyer in charge of investigating the complaints filed against both, and which considers accredited three serious violations of the regulations. The sanction could reach the maximum foreseen for this type of offenses: three months without access to the Congress.

The file against Quiles focuses on two incidents that occurred at the end of 2025, when the activist recorded with his mobile phone the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in restricted areas of Congress. According to the complaint filed by the Association of Parliamentary Journalists, the recordings were made without authorization and subsequently were disseminated on social media. The regulation reformed in July last year expressly prohibits “the recording of images or audios outside the enabled spaces” and also the publication of that material when it has been obtained in violation of parliamentary regulations.

In the case of Ndongo, the investigation originated after a complaint filed by Sumar in December. The agitator interrupted with shouts a press conference of the parliamentary spokesperson Verónica Martínez and starred in a verbal confrontation with journalists and communication managers present in the room. The Parliamentary Communication Advisory Council concluded months later that Ndongo's conduct implied “a visible verbal violence” and hindered the normal development of the appearance. The body also considered that several professionals were “questioned in a completely inappropriate manner”.

The parliamentary sources consulted explain that the investigation of both files has been prolonged for almost five months due to the “guaranteeing” nature of the new disciplinary procedure approved after the reform of the regulations. The instructor designated by the Cortes granted ample periods for allegations to both Quiles and Ndongo and worked on gathering sufficient evidence to avoid possible future nullities. The objective, they assure from the Chamber, is to prevent the process from being revoked by the Tribunal Supremo, as already happened in 2019 with the annulment of the temporary expulsion of the editor of 'OK Diario' Segundo Sanz, for accessing without permission the office of Irene Montero.

The reform of the regulation promoted last year by PSOE and Sumar, and rejected by Partido Popular and Vox, established for the first time a specific catalog of infractions and sanctions for accredited journalists. Since then, eight complaints have been registered against Quiles and three others against Ndongo. The most recent was filed this very week after Ndongo called “idiot” the deputy spokesperson for Sumar, Aina Vidal, and tried to prevent her from accessing a taxi at the exit of the Congress.

The decision of the Board also evidences the strong political division existing on this matter. PSOE and Sumar, which have a majority in the governing body of the Chamber, defend the need to stop the harassment of deputies and journalists within the Congress. However, the PP maintains a critical position on the sanctions and has avoided condemning some episodes starring Quiles. The popular leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, publicly asked “who are those who have had some type of violent attitude” after one of the recent incidents. Furthermore, the president of Aragón, Jorge Azcón, invited Quiles himself to participate in a PP campaign event during the last regional elections.