(IPYS/IFEX) – On 23 March 2005, journalist Maurício Melato Barth, owner of the local newspaper “Infobairros”, was shot twice in front of his home, in the Meia Praia neighborhood of Itapema, Santa Catarina state. Two unidentified men aimed their guns at Barth’s legs and shot him twice before walking away. According to police officer Ecil […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 23 March 2005, journalist Maurício Melato Barth, owner of the local newspaper “Infobairros”, was shot twice in front of his home, in the Meia Praia neighborhood of Itapema, Santa Catarina state.
Two unidentified men aimed their guns at Barth’s legs and shot him twice before walking away. According to police officer Ecil Egger, who is in charge of the investigation, the assailants did not hide their faces from Barth.
Barth said the attack followed a series of stories published in his bi-monthly newspaper, which denounced corruption at City Hall. Barth had previously received several threats via anonymous phone calls.
The journalist is currently recovering from surgery at a Curitiba hospital. The Civil Police confirmed that Barth had reported the threats to authorities earlier this year.
The Santa Catarina Journalists’ Union and the National Federation of Journalists condemned the attack.
