(IPYS/IFEX) – On 10 December 2005, journalist Rosemberg Valverde and her assistant José Carlos Ponce de León, both of Frecuencia Latina television, were assaulted when attempting to interview the mother of a murdered man alleged to have been a hired killer. During the assault, the journalists’ video camera was stolen. The incident took place in […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 10 December 2005, journalist Rosemberg Valverde and her assistant José Carlos Ponce de León, both of Frecuencia Latina television, were assaulted when attempting to interview the mother of a murdered man alleged to have been a hired killer. During the assault, the journalists’ video camera was stolen. The incident took place in Leoncio Prado, in the central region of Huánuco.
According to the journalists, the prospective interviewee admitted them into her home. They began to ask her about her late son’s relationship with Fernando Zevallos, a businessman involved in the drug trade. At that moment, additional relatives of the murdered man appeared, insulting the journalists and accusing them of having invaded the privacy of their home.
The journalists attempted to depart, but a group of neighbours blocked the doorway and assaulted them. During the struggle, a member of the murdered man’s family snatched the journalists’ video camera.
Unexpectedly, the local public prosecutor, María Atarama Zevallos arrived on the scene and intervened on the side of the family. The journalists were taken to the police station where they were detained for various hours. Atarama Zevallos informed IPYS that the police were investigating the matter in order to bring about the return of the camera.
