The journalists, Pedro Escudero Cárdenas and Germán Escudero Saldarriaga, told IPYS that attacks started after they published several accusations about alleged acts of corruption by officials of the Municipality of Pomabamba led by Mayor Juan Ponte Carranza.
On 7 March 2014, journalists Pedro Escudero Cárdenas, of the site http://pomabamba.ning.com and Germán Escudero Saldarriaga, director of the website http://pomabamba2010.blogspot.ca, reported that over the previous 14 days they had been receiving messages with death threats and insults, in addition to being defamed through an anonymous blog.
The journalists told IPYS that the attacks started after they published several accusations about alleged acts of corruption by officials of the Municipality of Pomabamba led by Mayor Juan Ponte Carranza, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued. Pomabamba is located in the Ancash region of northeastern Peru.
According to the reporters, the attackers wanted to boycott their websites. When they could not do this, they started sending messages through cell phones. The threats clearly said they should stop “messing with” the administration of Mayor Ponte Carranza. Although the blog created to defame the journalists carries the name Jaime Meza, the reporters verified that this person does not exist.
The journalists pointed out that they have filed a formal complaint with the police but there has been no investigation so far. IPYS requests the authorities take into account the journalists’ complaint to identify those responsible for these acts that undermine the work of the press in uncovering corruption.
