(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 1 April 2005 IAPA press release: IAPA condemns murder of journalist in Brazil Miami (April 1, 2005).- The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemns the murder of a journalist in Brazil and calls on officials to investigate, solve the crime, and bring those responsible to justice. Ricardo Gonzalves Rocha, […]
(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 1 April 2005 IAPA press release:
IAPA condemns murder of journalist in Brazil
Miami (April 1, 2005).- The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemns the murder of a journalist in Brazil and calls on officials to investigate, solve the crime, and bring those responsible to justice.
Ricardo Gonzalves Rocha, owner of Jornal Vicentino newspaper in the city of São Vicente, in the State of São Paulo, was killed on March 31. Gonzalves Rocha, 72 years old, died inside his vehicle from three gunshots fired by an individual passing by on a motorcycle, according to information from international news agencies.
The chairman of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Gonzalo Marroquín, publicly asked local officials to launch a prompt investigation and to bring the case to federal jurisdiction. The journalist, considered to be a controversial figure in the town, was also a city councilman for several decades.
Although the motive for the murder is unknown, police have dismissed robbery since the journalist’s valuables were found inside his vehicle.
According to IAPA’s statistics, Gonzalves Rocha’s murder brings the number of journalists murdered in Brazil since 1987 to 27. The majority of these murders remain unpunished and many of them have occurred in the interior of the country where journalists usually are exposed to greater risks.
Marroquín informed that next week the IAPA will provide professional training for 25 Brazilian journalists working in hostile environments. The training will take place in Argentina by military specialists from the Argentine Center for Joint Peace Operations (CAECOPAZ).