Freelance reporter Marco Villanueva was shot in the left arm and beaten by three thieves who blamed him for the incarceration of one of their accomplices.
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 7 August 2009, freelance reporter Marco Villanueva was shot in the left arm and beaten by three thieves who recognised him as a journalist when they were mugging him on a public transport vehicle, in Chimbote, a city in northern Peru. The journalist told IPYS that the criminals blamed him for the incarceration of one of their accomplices because Villanueva had published his picture in the “Diario de Chimbote” newspaper.
Villanueva was held by his assailants for half an hour, then was abandoned on a street in the city. Police officers then took him to a hospital.
IPYS will follow this case closely and is coordinating with the journalist to file a request for protection.
