(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has expressed its deep dismay following the murder of radio host Samuel Román on 20 April 2004 in Coronel Sapucaia, a Brazilian town located near the border with Paraguay. Román, aged 36, was shot dead by two men in front of his home on a street that divides the twin cities of […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has expressed its deep dismay following the murder of radio host Samuel Román on 20 April 2004 in Coronel Sapucaia, a Brazilian town located near the border with Paraguay.
Román, aged 36, was shot dead by two men in front of his home on a street that divides the twin cities of Coronel Sapucaia (Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil) and Capitán Bado (Paraguay). Brazilian police, who are heading the investigation, said they believe four men riding on motor bikes were involved in the killing.
Two men fired several gunshots at Román as two accomplices waited on the Paraguayan side of the road. The four men then fled to Paraguay. The journalist reportedly tried to flee but was hit in the back by 11 bullets. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the local medical centre.
Police Commissioner Antenor Batista da Silva Júnior was quoted by the website http://www.douradosagora.com as saying he expected the murder case to be quickly solved. On 22 April, Paraguayan police arrested three suspects, who were immediately handed over to Brazilian police.
According to the website http://www.campogrande.com, the suspects were reportedly identified as Brazilians Ricardo Antônio Machado, Fabiano Lucena dos Santos and Luciano Gregório de Lucena. Paraguayan police were already hunting for the three men in the context of another murder investigation. One of the men reportedly has links with Luiz Fernando da Costa, alias “Seaside Fernandino”, a Rio de Janeiro drug trafficker who controls cannabis-growing operations in the region.
For the past 20 years, Román, a Brazilian national, had worked for local radio stations in Paraguay’s Amambay province. He was well known in Capitán Bado. According to the Brazilian website www.campogrande.com, he was also owner of the local radio station Conquista. He hosted a call-in programme called “Voice of the People” on which he invited listeners to comment on political life in Coronel Sapucaia. According to the local press, he frequently denounced drug trafficking and rampant criminality in the region.
“Since there is a strong likelihood that the murder was linked to the journalist’s revelations, we urge you to do your utmost to discover the motives of the crime and identify whoever ordered the killing,” RSF said in a letter to Mato Grosso do Sul State Governor José Orcirio Miranda dos Santos.
“The arrest of three suspects is very encouraging. The border zone between Brazil and Paraguay is unfortunately known for its trafficking and contraband activities, which are dangerous for journalists to expose,” the organisation added.
In early April, Román was questioned by police, who suspected him of visiting an illegal gaming house. The journalist was also a stand-in for a municipal councillor in Sapucaia, who is a member of the Partido Democrático Trabalhista (PDT).
