Spanish digital journalist and political activist Vito Quiles is the subject of a judicial arrest warrant issued by a Madrid court after he failed to attend two scheduled court appearances in an ongoing case involving allegations of slander.
Police officers from Spain’s National Police visited the Madrid offices of EDA TV (Estado de Alarma TV), the online channel where Quiles works, to execute the order.
Quiles was not present. Reports indicate officers also went to his home.
As of early July 3, he had not been located.
The warrant was issued by Judge Rosa María Freire of Madrid’s Juzgado de Instrucción No. 32.
It stems from Quiles’ non-appearance at summonses on June 9 and 25 in proceedings related to an alleged continued crime against honour.
The case originates from a private complaint filed by a Treasury civil servant.
According to reports citing court documents, Quiles is accused of publicly claiming on platforms including Telegram and TikTok that the official was an advisor to Finance Minister María Jesús Montero and had been released from prison through her intervention.
The complainant, a civil servant with 41 years of service, described the claims as a complete falsehood (“bulo”) that led to public harassment, insults, and threats against him.
He is seeking €50,000 in damages for moral and professional harm and says Quiles published his full name and photograph.
Judicial sources have stressed that the warrant is a procedural measure to bring Quiles before the court to take his statement, after he did not appear when summoned.
They say it is not directly linked to his other reported confrontations with government figures.
“If I said that about a Treasury official it was a long time ago and I don’t remember it, to be honest”, Quiles said. “I don’t know exactly why I’m wanted, because I haven’t received any paper yet.”
Quiles has rejected the action as political persecution. In posts on X, he linked the warrant to a “mass denunciation campaign” by the entourage of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez following his public interactions, including an encounter with Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez.
“A judge has ordered my arrest after a mass denunciation campaign by Sánchez’s entourage after my meeting with Begoña Gómez,” he wrote.
“The Government uses justice to persecute its rivals without reason… Not one step back.”
In a video message, he added: “The police are looking for me to detain me and no one knows why… Is it normal in a consolidated democracy that the police go to take journalists away from their workplace simply because they are uncomfortable for the government and because they bother Pedro Sánchez?”
He has also stated: “I will not surrender to Sánchez’s government. End.”
Quiles has further claimed that Argentine President Javier Milei has offered him refuge in the Argentine embassy in Madrid should the situation worsen.
He said he maintains fluid communication with Milei and has received explicit support and the offer of protection. Reports in Spanish and Argentine media have corroborated that Milei extended this option.
His lawyer, Juan Gonzalo Ospina of Ospina Abogados, has described the measure as “disproportionate” and said the defence had not received formal notification initially. The team confirmed plans for a voluntary appearance.
Quiles has faced multiple legal complaints in recent years, including allegations of harassment, illegal recordings, and other offences.
He was temporarily stripped of his Congress press accreditation in May 2026 after an incident involving recording in a prohibited area. Some cases against him have been archived, while others remain active.
The Spanish authorities have not issued a detailed public comment beyond confirming the execution of the court order.
Under Spanish law, such warrants are standard when an investigated person fails to comply with summonses, with the aim of ensuring their appearance before a judge.
Spanish police investigators have concluded that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was aware of an alleged covert operation, run from within his own party, to obstruct court cases that reached into the Spanish Government. https://t.co/h3kzynDEPO
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) June 4, 2026
