Wilfredo Yustis was struck on the head with a shovel by demonstrators who did not want to be photographed while protesting before the National Housing Institute headquarters.
(IPYS-Venezuela/IFEX) – On Friday 30 July 2010, photojournalist Wilfredo Yustis, of the newspaper “El Tiempo”, was struck on the head with a shovel by demonstrators who did not want to be photographed while protesting before the National Housing Institute (INAVI) headquarters in Caracas.
Yustis was taking photographs of the demonstrators, workers for a contractor associated with the Housing Ministry who were demanding payment of outstanding wages. When they saw him, the men took the photojournalist’s camera, surrounded him and hit him on the head with a shovel. The gas mask Yustis was wearing reduced the impact, but he still fell to the ground as the demonstrators continued to beat him.
Yustis, who subsequently required medical attention, was able to escape thanks to the intervention of a food vendor who was also beaten and lost his stall in the ensuing looting.
Nobody has been detained for their involvement in the incident.
IPYS-Venezuela condemns protests of this type carried out by demonstrators.
