(IPYS/IFEX) – On the morning of 7 August 2004, a man broke into the home of Mónica Paredes Reátegui, a correspondent for Frecuencia Latina television station. The intruder threw Paredes on the bed, tied her hands and feet with a cable and threatened to kill her. The attack, which took place in Iquitos, capital of […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On the morning of 7 August 2004, a man broke into the home of Mónica Paredes Reátegui, a correspondent for Frecuencia Latina television station. The intruder threw Paredes on the bed, tied her hands and feet with a cable and threatened to kill her. The attack, which took place in Iquitos, capital of the Loreto region, northeastern Peru, constitutes the most serious action thus far against Paredes, who has been receiving insulting messages and telephone calls for more than two months.
Soon after the attack, Paredes was discovered by her neighbour and fellow journalist Luis Ramos, who went to Paredes’s home when he heard strange noises. After being freed, Paredes reported the incident at a nearby police station. The National Police’s Criminal Investigations Division (División de Investigación Criminal de la Policía Nacional del Perú, DIVINCRI) told the journalist she should move to a safe place while the incident is being investigated.
Speaking from her hiding place, Paredes told IPYS that she does not know the motive for the threats. She added that even after she reported the attack at her home, she has continued to receive threatening messages. The messages often include references to the 1995 murder of her father, who was a candidate for mayor of a nearby town. Paredes herself has been conducting investigations into the murder case, which remains unsolved. The journalist said she has not ruled out the possibility that her father’s murderers are behind the actions against her.
Another possible motive is an investigation Paredes is conducting into the activities of Congressman Carlos Almerí Vera. Some of the threatening messages have made reference to the issues regarding the congressman.
Following the attack on Paredes, a team of reporters from Frecuencia Latina’s office in Lima went to Iquitos to conduct an investigation.
