(IPYS/IFEX) – According to IPYS, on 6 April 1998, at 8:00 p.m., a group of approximately twenty men (some of whom were hooded) stormed the home of Isabel and Walter Chumpitaz Panta, in Bajo Piura, in the northern disctrict of La Union. According to the mother of the two journalists, the intruders identified themselves as […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – According to IPYS, on 6 April 1998, at 8:00 p.m., a group of
approximately twenty men (some of whom were hooded) stormed the home of
Isabel and Walter Chumpitaz Panta, in Bajo Piura, in the northern disctrict
of La Union. According to the mother of the two journalists, the intruders
identified themselves as “government people” and said they were looking for
Isabel and her brother Walter “because they defended the peasants.” Isabel
Chumpitaz was a radio journalist with Radio Satelite, where she presented a
program called “Voice of the People” (“La voz del Pueblo”). Her brother,
Walter Chumpitaz, also a radio journalist, presents a program called “Straw
Hat” (“Sombrero de Paja”). Both programs are directed at an audience of
laborers and farmers.
According to information provided by Nancy Estrada, a journalist with Radio
Cutivalu of Piura, Rosa de Chumpitaz, the mother of the two journalists,
stated on 7 April 1998, that the intruders stormed the house and began to
beat Isabel. When her husband tried to intervene, the intruders fired shots,
killing them both. The murders took place in front of their 4-year old
daughter.
The assailants then stabbed Walter Chumpitaz in the upper chest. He was
seriously injured and is reported to be near death. Rosa de Chumpitaz was
stripped and beaten by the assailants. A brother of the journalists was
shot in the leg, however this injury is reportedly not life-threatening.
When the assailants fled, they took with them a van belonging to the family,
14 television sets and several objects made of gold.
The real reasons behind this assault are not yet known. While the fact that
there was a robbery could lead to the conclusion that this was a random
crime, according to Rosa de Chumpitaz’s account, the assailants were looking
for Isabel. Both Isabel and Walter Chumpitaz had radio shows which defended
the rights of peasant farmers in the region; however it is not yet possible
to determine whether or not State agents participated in the crime. Given
the characteristics of the rural region, it is also possible that private
interests were behind the assault.
The results of investigations into this case will be analyzed in the coming
days.
