(RSF/IFEX) – RSF said it is “deeply shocked” by the 1 July 2005 murder of investigative journalist José Cândido Amorim Pinto of Rádio Comunitária Alternativa in Carpina, in the northeastern state of Pernambuco. “We are every worried about the impact of this murder on investigative reporting in northeastern Brazil and we call on the local, […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF said it is “deeply shocked” by the 1 July 2005 murder of investigative journalist José Cândido Amorim Pinto of Rádio Comunitária Alternativa in Carpina, in the northeastern state of Pernambuco.
“We are every worried about the impact of this murder on investigative reporting in northeastern Brazil and we call on the local, state and federal authorities to do everything possible to find out who did it and to reaffirm the rule of law, which is an essential condition for press freedom,” the organisation said.
Known as “Jota Cândido” to his listeners, Amorim was ambushed at 6:40 a.m. (local time) as he parked his car outside the radio station in Carpina (50 km from Recife). Two men shot him about 20 times before making off on motorcycle.
For the past 19 years, Amorim has produced and presented an investigative programme on Rádio Comunitária Alternativa in which he reported on corruption cases. The targets of his investigations included local mayor Mandel Botafogo and, on the eve of his murder, local parliamentarian Antonio Moraes.
Amorim was also a member of the Carpina municipal council. As such he had proposed a by-law to combat nepotism which Botafogo had opposed.
He had been the target of threats for about six months and was injured when two men on motorcycle fired on his car on 21 May.
Speaking on Rádio Folha, another parliamentarian, Carla Lapa, accused Moraes and Botafogo of ordering Amorim’s murder.
Amorim was killed the same day that a demonstration in defence of press freedom was staged by students, trade unionists and NGOs outside the headquarters of the “Jornal do Commercio” newspaper in Recife.
