Violence Against Press Increasing in Brazil
http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/front-page/violence-against-press-increasing-in-brazil/
BRASÍLIA,
BRAZIL –
Rodrigo Neto, a Minas Gerais crime reporter has become the third journalist to
be killed so far this year. The killing of the crime reporter from Ipatinga, is
the latest in what watchdogs say is a deeply worrying spike in violence toward
journalists.
Neto, who was married with one child and hosted a program on
Radio Vanguarda and wrote a column for Ipatinga daily Vale do Aco, was shot by
two gunmen on Friday (March 8th) as he was walked toward his car after leaving
a bar he visited regularly, officials have said. His attackers did not steal
any of the equipment he had with him, nor his wallet.
“The crime against journalist Rodrigo Neto has
characteristics of an execution,” said Human Rights Minister Maria do Rosário,
according to a spokesperson. “It was an attack on life, human rights and
freedom of expression.”
Neto, like most of the other journalists murdered in Brazil, was
from a small town and reported on crime, and local corruption – in this
instance, amongst the police. According to local media reports, Neto had
reportedly recently told colleagues and friends that he had received anonymous
threats. The police could not be reached for further comment Tuesday.
“The majority of recent cases in Brazil are related to local
issues usually involving organized crime (sometimes in collusion with corrupt
police) and local politicians,” Carlos Müller, spokesman for the National
Association of Newspapers, told The Rio Times.
Last year, the New York-based Committee to Protect
Journalists (CPJ) linked the deaths of four Brazilian journalists directly to
their work, the highest toll in a decade. Only in Syria,
Somalia, and Pakistan was it riskier to work as a reporter
than in Brazil in 2012, CPJ
said, pointing out that such setbacks are particularly disheartening given Brazil’s
status as a regional leader with a thriving democracy.
Minister for Human Rights Maria do Rosário said that Neto’s
murder had characteristics of an execution, photo by Fabio Rodrigues
Pozzebom/ABr.
Few thorough investigations and fewer convictions have
created a culture of impunity that means corrupt individuals see little risk in
paying a hired gun to silence a reporter asking inconvenient questions, experts
say.
“What we know is that all of these cases have something in
common: the lack of investigation,” Marcelo Maureira, president of the
Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abriji), told The Rio Times.
“When you have nobody taking care to find out who was responsible, the sense of
impunity increases and … killers feel more free to do the attacks.”
Compounding this, Maureira says, is that many reporters lose
their lives while investigating corrupt local police – the same police who,
once the reporter has been shot, are responsible for investigating the murder.
“How can you expect a fair investigation by someone you may have been reporting
on for their corrupt practices?” said Maureiro.
Abrij and other organizations have approached the federal
government to suggest that journalist killings be investigated at a federal
level instead of a municipal one. Last year the government came under fire when
it raised objections to a U.N. plan to improve journalist safety and tackle
impunity.
However, a spokesperson for the Secretariat for Human Rights
told The Rio Times Tuesday that the government had, in February, installed a
special working group to combat violence against journalists.
“Composed of thirteen representatives from government and
professional associations, the board will review reports of violence against
journalists, and propose a monitoring system to prevent impunity,” said a
spokesperson for the Secretariat.
The spokesperson added that representatives from the Council
of Defense of Human Rights would, in the next few days, travel to Minas Gerais
to monitor the progress of the investigation into Neto’s death.
Fourth Journalist Murder in Brazil this Year
http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/front-page/fourth-journalist-murdered-this-year-in-brazil/
RIO DE JANEIRO,
BRAZIL –
Walgney Assis Carvalho, a photojournalist from the state of Minas Gerais, was
shot at point-blank range by a hooded man as he exited a restaurant in the
Ipatinga area last week. Carvalho is the fourth journalist believed to have been
killed due to his profession so far this year.