Bangladesh (4)
Diponkar Chakrabarty, executive editor of the Bangla-language daily, “Durjoy Bangla”, was murdered by assailants on the evening of 2 October in Sherpur, a town the northeastern Rajshahi Division. Chakrabarty’s attackers ambushed and decapitated the journalist, reportedly using knives and traditional axes to carry out the attack. Witnesses reportedly heard Chakrabarty’s cries and the sound of motorcycles as the assailants fled the scene. No known motive has been established for the attack, but international sources have reported that the killers were likely professionals.
Kamal Hossain was abducted and killed on 22 August in the city of Manikcchari, eastern Chittagong District. Hossain was a correspondent for the daily “Ajker Kagoj” and secretary general of the Manikchhari press club. According to reports, armed men broke into the journalist’s home early on the morning of the 22nd. Hossain reportedly hid from his attackers, but gave himself up after they threatened to kill his two-year old son. His body was found a few hours later two kilometres from his home. The journalist had recently written several articles about criminal activity, and had also reportedly helped police identify some members of a local gang only a few days before his death. In addition to his journalistic activities, Hossain was the head of the local youth wing of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, and had reportedly also recently had a dispute with a neighbour concerning land.
Humayun Kabir was killed by a blast from a handmade bomb in Khulna city on 27 June. Kabir, who was editor of Dainik Janmabhumi, a Bengali-language regional newspaper, and president of the Khulna press club, was attacked by an unidentified assailant as he stepped out of his car with his family at the gate of his home/newspaper office. The editor suffered from fatal injuries to the abdomen and the legs. According to local reports, the terrorist group Janajuddha (People’s War), a faction of the Purbo Banglar Communist Party, has claimed responsibility for the killing.
Manik Saha was killed in a bomb attack in the city of Khulna on 15 January. Mr Saha, a bureau chief of the English-language daily New Age and a stringer for the BBC, was travelling in a rickshaw when unknown assailants threw a home-made bomb at him, killing him instantly. The driver of the rickshaw was also injured and taken to hospital. Some of Mr Saha’s colleagues reported that he had been the target of intimidating telephone calls several years ago but they did not believe that he had recently been threatened. Saha had published articles highlighting the illegal activities of armed Maoist groups and criminal gangs in Bangladesh. According to l reports, the terrorist group Janajuddha (People’s War), a faction of the Purbo Banglar Communist Party claimed responsibility for the killing.
Belarus (1)
Veronika Cherkasova, a well-known journalist who worked for the Minsk-based opposition newspaper “Solidarnost”, was killed in her home in Minsk on 20 October. The journalist was stabbed 20 times, mostly around the throat. According to local reports, police found no evidence of a break-in, and nothing was taken from the apartment. Cherkasova primarily covered social and cultural news but occasionally wrote about politically sensitive issues such as drug abuse. At the time of her murder, Cherkasova was reportedly collecting material for an article on the work of religious sects in Belarus.
Brazil (2)
Jorge Lourenço dos Santos was shot four times in the town of Santana do Ipanema in northeastern Brazil on 11 July. Dos Santos was both the owner and a host on Criativa FM, a radio station which was run out of his home. An unidentified assailant, who fled the scene in a car, shot the journalist outside his home. According to local reports, investigating authorities have confirmed that the journalist had received death threats in the past and had previously been the target of two attempted killings. Police are reportedly investigating whether dos Santos’ murder could have been politically motivated, as the journalist was also politically active, having run for council in the nearby town of Major Isidoro in 1996 and 2000.
José Carlos Araújo was killed by two assailants on 24 April as he left a recording studio at the radio station for which he worked, Timbaúba FM, in North-eastern Brazil. Three days later, police arrested the alleged murderer, Helton Jonas Gonçalves de Oliveira, aged 18. Local media have reported that de Oliveira confessed to having killed Araújo after the journalist accused him in his programme, "José Carlos Entrevista" of being behind several murders. Araújo had used the programme to expose the existence of murder squads and the alleged involvement of local figures in criminal cases. De Oliveira, along with his accomplice Marcelo Melo, 22, reportedly borrowed a motorcycle from a third individual to kill the journalist.
Colombia (1)
Oscar Alberto Polanco Herrera was shot outside his offices by two unidentified gunmen on 4 January in Cartago, a town situated 200 kilometres from Bogota. Polanco was director of the local news programme, CNC Noticias, on the television station Cable Unión de Occidente. The motive for his murder is unknown.
Dominican Republic (1)
Juan Emilio Andújar Matos, host of Radio Azua’s weekly show "Encuentro Mil 60" and correspondent with the Santo Domingo-based daily “Listín Diario”, was shot in the head by two men on motorcycles, as he left a radio station in the town of Azua on 14 September. During the programme broadcast immediately prior to his murder, Andújar had discussed a crime wave and a surge in violence between local gangs and police in the city. At least six other local journalists who have reported on the violence have been threatened with death and are currently receiving police protection. Radio reporter Jorge Luis Sención, who came to Andújar’s aid, was shot in a later attack, allegedly by the same men, resulting in the amputation of his right forearm. Police reportedly killed one of the assailants in a later gun battle.
Gambia (1)
Deyda Hydara, managing editor and co-owner of the independent newspaper “The Point”, was fatally shot on the evening of 16 December in the capital of Banjul. The journalist was ambushed by two unidentified assailants in his car while driving home from a party to celebrate the 13th anniversary of his newspaper. Two other staff members of The Point who were in the car with Hydara were wounded in the attack. In recent months, Hydara, a veteran journalist and press freedom advocate, was an active participant in a local campaign to overturn a repressive media law, which among other things, would have led to the required licensing of journalists by a government run media body. No suspects have been arrested in the in case.
Haiti (1)
Ricardo Ortega was shot twice in the chest on 7 March in the capital of Port-au-Prince, when gunmen opened fire on demonstrators calling for the prosecution of former President Jean-Bertrand. The Spanish journalist, a correspondent for the Spanish television station Antena 3, was taken to hospital where he died from his wounds. Ortega began his career working for the Spanish news agency EFE in Moscow. As correspondent for Antena 3, he covered armed conflicts in Chechnya, Sarajevo, and Afghanistan. Ortega also covered the 11 September attacks in New York City.
India (3)
Dilip Mohapatra, editor of “Aji Kagaj”, was found dead by the side of a highway near the village of Bhagirathipur, on the East coast of India, on 9 November. The journalist was found with his hands and legs bound with plastic tape and his skull smashed. According to police reports, his head injuries were sustained either with a heavy object or he had been run over by a car. Mohapatra had been reported missing the previous day. It has not yet been determined whether the editor’s death was linked to his work as a journalist.
Asiya Jeelani died en route to the hospital after a van carrying an elections monitoring team detonated an explosive device on a rural road in northern Kashmir on 20 April. A freelance journalist, Jeelani regularly contributed to local newspapers and was also a human rights activist who worked with several non-governmental organizations. Local sources say she was helping a local umbrella organization, the Coalition of Civil Society, prepare an account of its monitoring activity, and may have been reporting on the election herself.
Veeraboina Yadagiri, a veteran journalist and correspondent for the local, Telugu-language daily “Andhra Prabha”, was stabbed to death near his home in the town of Medak, in India’s southern Andhra Pradesh State on 21 February. Local journalists reportedly believe that his murder was in reprisal for his articles investigating the illegal sale of home-brewed liquor, known locally as toddy. Yadagiri had written a series of articles detailing the dangers of consuming toddy and accusing local politicians of being involved in its trade. The journalist had also registered a police complaint after he received threats from a local contractor involved in the illegal toddy business. According to local reports, on the evening of his murder, Yadagiri was invited to a meeting with several people involved in the toddy trade. After the meeting, the journalist was accompanied home by at least three of the men who had been present. One of those accompanying Yadagiri, reportedly stabbed him multiple times before fleeing the scene.
Iraq (23)
Dhia Najim, an Iraqi freelance cameraman who worked for Reuters and The Associated Press, among other outlets, was shot in the head on 1 November while covering fighting in Ramadi, 115 kilometres west of Baghdad. Video footage shot from an upper floor of a building nearby reportedly shows Najim, at first half-hidden by a wall, move into the open. As soon as he emerges, a powerful gunshot cracks out and he falls to the ground, his arms outstretched. Earlier in the day, Najim had filmed fierce street clashes between U.S. troops and insurgents, but there was no sound of fighting on the tape that records his death, raising the possibility that Najim was killed by a sniper.
Liqaa Abdul Razzak, an Iraqi news anchor working for the Iraqi Al-Sharqiya TV station was killed in Baghdad, by gunmen on 27 October. The journalist was travelling in a taxi with two companions when gunmen in another car opened fire on them. Abdul Razzak and at least one of the other passengers, a translator, were killed. The journalist had reportedly not received any death threats prior to her murder, and it is not clear whether she was targeted for her work.
Karam Hussein, an Iraqi photographer working for the German-based European Pressphoto Agency (EPA), was gunned down in front of his home by a group of unidentified gunmen on 15 October, in the northern city of Mosul. According to local sources, there was reportedly no known motive for the attack.
Dina Mohammed Hassan, a correspondent for Iraqi Al-Hurriya TV, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad’s Adhamiya district on 14 October. At the time of her death, the reporter was apparently waiting outside her residence for a car to transport her to work. The journalist died on the way to hospital. Hassan had reportedly not received any threats against her.
Mazen al-Tumeizi, a reporter for Al-Arabiya television was killed in Baghdad on 12 September after a U.S. helicopter reportedly fired missiles and machine guns to destroy a disabled American vehicle.Video aired by al-Arabiya showed al-Tumeizi was preparing a report nearby when an explosion behind him caused him to double over and scream, "I’m dying, I’m dying." According to reports, fighting broke out on Haifa Street in the centre of Baghdad around dawn, when a U.S. armoured vehicle caught fire and its four crew members were evacuated. As a crowd gathered, one or more U.S. helicopters opened fire.
Enzo Baldoni, an Italian freelance journalist, was kidnapped and murdered by a group calling itself ‘The Islamic Army in Iraq’ sometime between 20 and 26 August. Baldoni was travelling to the city of Najaf when he was abducted by the group. The kidnappers had demanded Italy withdraw its 3,000 troops from Iraq as a condition for the release of the journalist. When this condition was not met, the group executed him. Baldoni, 56, had reportedly gone to Iraq to write a book on militant groups.
Mahmoud Hamid Abbas, an Iraqi cameraman working for the German television station Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) was killed on 15 August in Fallujah. The television station reported that Abbas had called earlier in the day to say he had filmed the bombardment of a house in Fallujah by U.S. forces and that he would be returning to Baghdad. Abbas reportedly called the station back a half hour later to say an attack was under way, before the phone line went dead. ZDF reportedly learned of his death the next day after Abbas’ body was brought to a Fallujah mosque. The details surrounding the cameraman’s death remain unclear.
Shinsuke Hashida was killed on 27 May, when car in which he was travelling was attacked by gunmen outside of Baghdad. Hashida, a Japanese freelancer, was on his way to Baghdad from the southern city of Samawah. He was reportedly working for the Japanese tabloid daily Nikkan Gendai, covering Japanese troops stationed in Iraq. The journalist’s nephew, also a freelancer, and their translator, were also killed in the attack. The vehicle burst into flames after coming under fire. The driver, of Iraqi nationality, was able to exit the car before it exploded. The Japanese foreign ministry acknowledged the incident but has not confirmed the identities of those killed.
Kotaro Ogawa was killed on 27 May, when the car in which he was travelling was attacked by gunmen outside of Baghdad. Ogawa, a Japanese freelancer, was on his way to Baghdad from the southern city of Samawah. His uncle, also a freelancer, and their translator, were both killed in the attack as well. The vehicle burst into flames after coming under fire. The driver, of Iraqi nationality, was able to exit the car before it exploded. The Japanese foreign ministry acknowledged the incident but has not confirmed the identities of those killed.
Waldemar Milewicz was killed in a drive-by shooting on 7 May, while driving to a Polish military base south of Baghdad. Of Polish nationality, Milewicz was an award winning television journalist on assignment for the public television network TVP. His picture editor, Mounir Bouamrane, was also killed in the attack. According to reports from the driver of the vehicle in which the two journalists were travelling, the gunmen closed in from behind in a car and sprayed the vehicle with gunfire, killing Milewicz, who was in the back seat. The television crew had arrived in Iraq three days earlier.
Mounir Bouamrane was killed in a drive-by shooting on 7 May, while driving to a Polish military base south of Baghdad. Bouamrane, a picture editor, was on assignment for the public television network TVP. His colleague Waldemar Milewicz, was also killed in the attack. According to reports from the driver of the vehicle in which the two journalists were travelling, the gunmen closed in from behind in a car and sprayed the journalist’s vehicle with gunfire, first killing Milewicz. As Bouamrane and other members of the crew were exiting the vehicle, the gunmen re-opened fire on them and killed Bouamrane. The journalist, a Polish-Algerian national, had been working for about 15 years for TVP. The crew had arrived in Iraq three days earlier.
Assad Kadhem was killed by US military fire on 19 April while filming an attack on a US base in the central Iraqi city of Samara, north of Baghdad. The journalist, an Iraqi national, worked for the coalition-funded television channel Al-Iraqiya TV. His driver was also killed in the assault. The precise circumstances of the incident are unclear.
Burhan Mohamed Mazhour was killed in the city of Fallujah on 26 March, following a firefight that reportedly occurred as US Marines were conducting house-to-house searches in the city. Mazhour, a freelancer for the American television station ABC, was standing among a group of working journalists when U.S. troops reportedly fired in their direction. Mazhour was struck in the head by a single bullet and later died in a hospital.
Ali al-Khatib died in hospital on 19 March from injuries sustained after being shot near a US military checkpoint in Baghdad the previous day. The reporter, who worked with the United Arab Emirates-based news channel Al-Arabiyya, was part of a four-man news team that had gone that evening to cover the aftermath of a rocket attack against the Burj al-Hayat Hotel. The incident reportedly occurred after a car accidentally crashed into a barrier near the checkpoint. According to a member of the tv team, shots were fired from the direction of the US toops.
Nadia Nasrat was killed on 18 March in the town of Baqouba, when unidentified assailants opened fire on the bus in which he was traveling. The news anchor was working for the Coalition Provisional Authority’s Iraq Media Network (IMN) at the time of his death. The bus was transporting employees to IMN’s Diyala Media Centre when a car carrying three men reportedly overtook the vehicle as it approached the station’s entry road from the main highway, and assailants opened fire before fleeing the scene.
Ali Abdel Aziz was shot near a US military checkpoint in Baghdad on 18 March. The cameraman, who worked for the United Arab Emirates-based news channel Al-Arabiyya, was part of a four-man news team that had gone that evening to cover the aftermath of a rocket attack on the Burj al-Hayat Hotel. The incident reportedly occurred after a car accidentally crashed into a barrier near the checkpoint. According to a member of the tv team, shots were fired from the direction of the US toops.
Safir Nader was killed on 1 February when the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) were attacked in twin suicide bombings, as the two political groups hosted guests to commemorate the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid. Nader, a cameraman with the KDP-run Qulan TV, was on assignment covering the festivities when he was killed. More than 100 people, including several senior leaders in both parties, were killed in the attacks.
Haymin Mohamed Salih was killed on 1 February when the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) were attacked in twin suicide bombings, as the two political groups hosted guests to commemorate the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid. The cameraman, who worked with the KDP- run Qulan TV, was reportedly covering the festivities when he was killed.
Abdel Sattar Abdel Karim was killed on 1 February when the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) were attacked in twin suicide bombings, as the two political groups hosted guests to commemorate the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid. The freelance photographer for the Arabic-language daily Al-Ta’akhy, was reportedly covering the festivities at the time of his death. More than 100 people, including several senior leaders in both parties, were killed in the attacks.
Ayoub Mohamed was killed on 1 February when the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) were attacked in twin suicide bombings, as the two political groups hosted guests to commemorate the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid. The freelance cameraman was reportedly working for Kurdistan TV, run by the Kurdistan Democratic Party, at the time of his death.
Gharib Mohamed Salih was killed on 1 February when the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) were attacked in twin suicide bombings, as the two political groups hosted guests to commemorate the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid. The freelance cameraman who worked for the KDP-run Kurdistan TV, was reportedly on assignment at the time of his death.
Semko Karim Mohyideen was killed on 1 February when the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) were attacked in twin suicide bombings, as the two political groups hosted guests to commemorate the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid. The freelance cameraman had been hired by the KDP to film the event.
Duraid Isa Mohammed was killed in an ambush outside of Baghdad on 27 January, when the convoy with which he was travelling came under fire by unidentified assailants. The Iraqi producer, who was working for CNN at the time of his death, was heading toward the capital when a vehicle reportedly approached the two-car convoy from behind, and a single gunman opened fire.
Israel and the Occupied Territories (1)
Mohamed Abu Halima a journalism student at Al-Najah University in Nablus and a correspondent for university-affiliated Al-Najah radio station, was shot at the entrance of the Balata refugee camp, outside the city of Nablus, on 22 March. Abu Halima, who also worked as a freelance photographer, was reporting on Israeli troop activity near the camp.
Ivory Coast (1)
Antoine Massé, a local correspondent for "Le Courrier d’Abidjan", a privately-owned pro-government daily, was killed on 7 November during clashes between the Ivorian army, demonstrators, and members of the French peacekeeping force (Force Licorne). "Le Courrier d’Abidjan" reported that Massé, who was also a literature professor, was fatally shot as he covered a demonstration aimed at blocking the eastward advance of French troops from the village of Man towards Abidjan. A statement released by the Ivorian Defence and Security Forces (FDS) said three Ivorian soldiers, a policeman, a customs official and three civilians were killed on 7 November when French troops opened fire in the "Duékoué corridor", in Duékoué and Dibobly. A FDS spokesman, Lt. Col. Jules Yao Yao, reportedly informed international observers that Massé was one of the civilian victims.
Mexico (4)
Gregorio Rodriguez, a photographer with “El Debate”, a newspaper with editions in cities of Culiacan and Mazatlan, was killed by unidentified gunmen on 27 November in the northwestern state of Sinaloa. The journalist had been eating dinner with his family in a local restaurant in the community of Escuinapa when several armed men approached his table and opened fire. Rodriguez died instantly. The motive for the murder is not yet known, however the state of Sinaloa is known to be home to many of Mexico’s top drug bosses.
Francisco Arratia Saldierna was abducted and tortured to death on 31 August in the northeastern city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas state. Saldierna was a political journalist who often covered sensitive issues such corruption, drug-trafficking and organised crime. His commentaries appeared in four newspapers in the region, “El Imparcial”, “El Regional”, “Mercurio” and “El Cinco”. He was reportedly lured by unknown assailants out of his garage and was found just over an hour later, lying seriously wounded in front of the local Red Cross offices. Saldierna died in hospital a few hours later as a result of a broken skull and fingers and burns and injuries on his stomach and shoulders.
Francisco Javier Ortiz Franco was gunned down by unidentified assailants in the border city of Tijuana on 22 June. According to reports, Ortiz Franco, a lawyer and co-editor of the Tijuana-based weekly Zeta, had just left a physical therapy clinic with his two children when masked gunmen in a vehicle pulled up to his car and shot him four times in the head and neck. The journalist died at the scene. His children were unharmed. Ortiz Franco was one of the founders of Zeta as well as a member of its editorial board. He was reportedly involved in many of the newspaper’s investigative reports. In addition, Ortiz Franco was a member of a working group jointly created by the Mexican government and the Inter-American Press Association with a mandate to review the official investigations and legal proceedings on the murders of Héctor Félix Miranda, Zeta’s co-founder, and Víctor Manuel Oropeza, a columnist with the Diario de Juárez newspaper. A clear motive for the attack has not yet been found, however local authorities have launched an investigation into the murder. The newspaper has also reportedly launched its own investigation.
Roberto Javier Mora García was stabbed to death on 19 March near his home in the town of Nuevo Laredo, near the US border. The journalist was editorial director of the daily El Mañana and editor of the weekly North Mexico Business. Mora was known for publishing articles about Golfo, a local drug trafficking cartel. No motive has yet to be found for the his murder, however, local police reportedly ruled out theft as a motive, after finding Mora García’s wallet, watch and car keys at the scene of the crime.
Nepal (2)
Badri Khadka was killed on 29 August in the district of Morang, eastern Nepal. At the time of his murder, the journalist was working as a regional correspondent for "Janadesh Weekly", a publication which is disseminated via the Internet and is believed to have links with the CPN-Maoist rebels. Reports concerning those responsible for his murder vary. According to some eyewitnesses, Khadka was reportedly arrested by security forces in the Kalyanpur department, and tortured while in their custody. Government security forces reportedly denied having arrested Khadka, and allege that the journalist may have been killed in crossfire between them and the CPN-Maoists.
Dakendra Raj Thapa was reportedly killed on 11 August at an undisclosed location in the far western district of Dailekh. The journalist and human rights worker had been abducted by Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) rebels on 26 June. He had reportedly been accused by the rebels of spying on their activities and working as an informer for the security forces. Thapa worked as a reporter for the state-owned Radio Nepal and was an advisor to Human Rights and Peace Society (HURPES), a Kathmandu-based human rights organisation. Local journalists are reportedly trying to recover Thapa’s body.
Nicaragua (2)
María José Bravo was fatally shot outside an electoral office in the city of Juigalpa on 9 November. According to local sources, Bravo, a correspondent for the Managua daily La Prensa, had just exited the vote-counting centre and was talking to a group of people when she was shot once at close range. She was taken to a hospital but declared dead on arrival. Bravo had been covering protests over the results of the 7 November elections in two municipalities. According to “La Prensa”, police have detained Eugenio Hernández González, a former mayor of the town of El Ayote, and identified him as the main suspect in Bravo’s death. Police reportedly took a .38-caliber handgun from Hernández. Some witnesses interviewed by “La Prensa“ claimed to have seen Hernández reach for a handgun just before Bravo was shot. It is unclear whether Bravo was targeted, and, if so, what the motive for her killing was.
Carlos José Guadamuz was shot as he was arriving to work on 10 February in the capital city of Managua. The journalist, who was a host of Dardos al centro on Canal 23 television station, was struck at point-blank range by a gunman while stepping out of his vehicle. The gunmen, identified as William Hurtado García, a local merchant and a security guard, was subsequently caught while fleeing the scene and apprehended by police. Guadamuz, a former high-ranking member of the opposition Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) party, was imprisoned in the late 1960s for opposing Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza. Although members of his family have reportedly said the journalist had previously received death threats, no motive for his slaying has been found.
Pakistan (1)
Sajid Tanol was shot and killed in Manshera, a town in northwest Pakistan, on 29 January. Local mayor Khalid Javed has been charged with journalist’s murder. The incident reportedly stemmed from an article that Tanol, a reporter for the Urdu-language daily Shumal, had written about an illegal liquor business allegedly run by Javed. In response to the article, the mayor filed a libel suit against the newspaper on 27 Jan. Two days later, he allegedly shot the journalist in broad daylight and fled the scene. Javed remains at large, but the police have reportedly arrested Javed’s brother and son as accomplices to the murder.
Paraguay (1)
Samuel Román was shot dead in the township of Coronel Sapucaia on 20 April. The journalist was reportedly hit by thirteen bullets when fired on by two men in front of his home on an avenue between the twin towns of Coronel Sapucaia (Brazil) and Capitán Bado (Paraguay). Román, a Brazilian national, had worked for 20 years in local radio in Paraguay and was very well known in Capitán Bado. Román hosted a programme entitled “Voice of the People", on which he reportedly invited listeners to comment on political life. According to the local press he also reportedly used the programme to expose drug trafficking and rampant criminality in the region.
Peru (2)
Antonio de la Torre Echeandía was stabbed to death on 14 February by two assailants on his way home from a party. De la Torre hosted a programme on Radio Órbita in the city of Yungay, northern Peru. The journalist was a harsh critic of the city’s mayor, Amaro León, whom he accused of corruption. Before he died, de la Torre reportedly identified one of his attackers as "El Negro," a nickname for Hipólito Casiano Vega Jara, who worked as a driver for mayor León office. In 2002, de la Torre had worked as a campaign chief for León and was appointed as head of communications following León’s election. De la Torre resigned, however, three months after the mayor’s appointment to office after discovering several instances of alleged corruption. The police have arrested Vega. León and his daughter have also reportedly been detained on charges of masterminding de la Torre’s murder.
Alberto Rivera Fernández was killed by two unidentified individuals while working in his office in the city of Pucallpa, eastern Peru, on 21 April. The journalist, a former member of parliament and president of the Ucayali Journalists’ Federation, was the host of "Transparencia", a radio programme that was broadcasted daily on the Frecuencia Oriental radio station. Rivera was known for his strong opposition to local and regional authorities because of certain land dealings. However, no apparent motive is yet known for his murder.
Philippines (11)
The body of Stephen Omaois, a writer for the community newspaper “Guru Press”, was found in a garbage bin on the outskirts of Tabuk in remote Kalinga Province on 27 November. Omaois, who was stabbed to death, had reportedly been investigating a public works project in a nearby town. According to reports, police have not determined a motive in the killing, but are investigating relatives’ reports that Omaois was abducted on the day before he was killed. In addition to his work as a print journalist, Omaois was a broadcast journalist for the government-run radio DZRK.
Allan Dizon was fatally shot by an unidentified gunman on 27 November in the central city of Cebu. The gunman reportedly fired on Dizon at point black range, shooting him again in the back as he tried to run away. The gunman then escaped the scene with the help of an accomplice who was waiting for him on a motorbike. Dizon was a correspondent for "The Freeman" and the tabloid "Banat News". The motives for his murder have not been confirmed, however the journalist had recently written a report about drug-trafficking in a local neighbourhood. Police have set up a task force to investigate the murder.
Herson Hinolan, a station manager and commentator for Bombo Radiyo in Kalibo, central Aklan Province, was shot on 13 November in the toilets of a local store. Suffering from extensive wounds to the arms and stomach, the journalist died two days later in hospital. Although there is no known motive for his murder, Hinolan was known as a “hard-hitting” commentator.
Gene Boyd Lumawag was fatally shot by a unidentified gunman while on assignment for the local news agency Mindanews on Jolo island, southern Philippines, on 12 November. Lumawag, a photographer, was preparing a report on Aid al-Fitr, the Muslim festivity that marks the end of Ramadan. Army investigators reportedly told Mindanews they thought the shooting was the work of members of an "urban terrorist group" linked to Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist group fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines. Local authorities have also suggested that the journalist’s slaying could have been linked to his investigations on corruption.
Eldy Sablas, a radio commentator in the province of Surigao del, on the southern island of Mindanao, was fatally shot on 19 October. Sablas, also known as Eldy Gabinales, was shot three times from behind as he rode a three-wheeled motorcycle away from a supermarket in the town of Tandag. Local journalists noted that Sablas, who hosted "Singgit sa mga Lungsuranon" ("Cry of the People") on Radio DXJR-FM, was a strident critic of the drug trade and illegal gambling. Regional Police chief Rene Elumbaring told international media that police were investigating the murder.
Romeo (Romy) Binungcal, a correspondent for two national Manila-based tabloids, "Remate" and "Bulgar", was fatally shot by unidentified gunmen on 29 September while riding home on his motorcycle in Bataan Province, central Luzon Region. According to reports, local journalists believe Binungcal’s murder came in retaliation for his reporting on corrupt provincial police. Binungcal was a businessman in addition to working as a journalist, but he was well-known for his reporting on corrupt officials.
Fernando Consignado was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head, in his home on 12 August in the town of Nagcarlan, approximately 75 kilometres south of Manila. The journalist was a correspondent for the Manila-based Radio Veritas, for which he reported on community affairs. The motive for his death is not yet known. Local authorities are investigating the case.
Arnel Manalo was shot in his vehicle by unidentified men as he returned from dropping his children off at school early in the morning of 5 August in Bauan, a city located approximately 100 kilometres south of Manila. According to an eye-witness report, two men approached Manalo’s vehicle on motorcycle, and the back-rider shot the journalist twice in the left side of the face and neck. The police reportedly found two .45 calibre shells inside Manalo’s vehicle. Upon arrival at a local hospital, the journalist was pronounced dead. The motive for his murder has yet to confirmed.
Rogelio "Roger" Mariano was shot by unidentified gunmen on 31 July in Laoag City. Mariano, a commentator for DZJC Radyo Natin-Aksyon Radyo radio station, was riding home on his motorcycle after completing a broadcast at the station, when assailants reportedly shot him several times in the back and head. Although no motive has been confirmed, local journalists reportedly believe that Mariano’s death may have been connected to his commentaries, through which he denounced illegal jueteng gambling operations in the city as well as financial irregularities in a local electric cooperative. The local authorities have launched an investigation into the murder.
Eliseo ("Ely") Binoya, a radio journalist with Radyo Natin, was gunned down on 17 June. The journalist was ambushed on a highway at the outskirts of the city of General Santos, on the southern island of Mindanao, by two unidentified gunmen on motorcycle. The assailants reportedly followed Binoya, who was also riding a motorcycle, and shot him several times from behind. It has not been confirmed whether Binoya’s assassination was linked to his radio commentaries. Local authorities are investigating the murder.
Ruel Endrinal was shot by two unidentified gunmen as he was leaving his house for the radio station on 11 February in Legazpi City, eastern Philippines. The journalist hosted a political commentary show on the DZRC radio station, in which he spoke out against local politicians and criminal gangs. He also published a regional newspaper, Bicol Metro News. The journalist had reportedly received death threats prior to his murder.
Russia (4)
The body of Pail Peloian was found by the side of a highway outside Moscow on 17 July. Peloian, an Armenian journalist, had worked for Armyanski Pereulok (Armenian Lane), a Moscow-based Russian-language magazine that focused on Armenian arts and literature. The journalist had been severely beaten and stabbed multiple times and had a cracked skull and bruised face. The police found money, documents, and a passport on the body, suggesting that the cause of death was not robbery.
Paul Klebnikov was shot four times by unidentified assailants as he left his office in Moscow on the evening of 9 July. Klebnikov, an American of Russian descent, was the editor of the Russian edition of Forbes Magazine. Local reports say shells of different calibre were found at the scene of the shooting, indicating that there were at least two attackers. Klebnikov was also the author of a controversial book that appeared in 2001 on Boris Berezovsky, one of the country’s most influential businessmen. Police in Moscow have reportedly launched an investigation into the murder.
Maksim Maksimov, an investigative reporter for the St. Petersburg weekly magazine Gorod (City), was last seen on 29 June, when he went to meet with a source in the city’s downtown district. One month later, police located the journalist’s car parked near a local hotel. Prior to his disappearance, Maksimov was reportedly investigating the murders of several Russian businessmen and politicians, including Galina Starovoytova, a parliamentary deputy shot in her apartment building in 1998. UPDATE July 2005:Two majors and a lieutenant colonel are now considered suspects in the journalist’s 2004 disappearance. Local newspapers have reported that the three suspects, all senior investigators in the corruption division of the northwestern district Interior Ministry, are being held on unrelated criminal charges of forgery and falsifying evidence.
Adlan Khasanov was killed in a bomb explosion in the Chechen capital of Grozny on 9 May. Khasanov, a cameraman for the British news agency Reuters, was one of six individuals, including Chechnya’s president Akhmad Kadyro, killed in the blast. The cameraman had been covering a Victory Day parade at Dynamo Stadium, an annual event which celebrates the Soviet Union’s 1945 victory over Nazi Germany. The bomb was placed in a concrete pillar under the VIP section of the stadium. Chechen police have reportedly detained five suspects allegedly linked to the blast.
Saudi Arabia (1)
Irish freelance journalist and cameraman Simon Cumbers died from gunshots wounds sustained in an incident which took place on the afternoon of 6 June in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Cumbers was working on a story for the BBC at the time of his death. Frank Gardner, a security correspondent for the BBC, was also injured in the attack. The two journalists were in the al-Suwaydi suburb of Riyadh filming the house the house of an al-Qaeda militant killed last year, when they were shot at from a jeep with a machine gun. Cumbers was an experienced freelance journalist and cameraman who had worked throughout the world filming international news stories for the BBC and for news organisations such as Associated Press Television (APTN) and ITN. The al-Suwaydi suburb is reportedly known as a militant stronghold and home to 15 of the 26 most wanted men in Saudi Arabia, including Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin, suspected leader of al-Qaeda in the kingdom.
Serbia and Montenegro (1)
Dusko Jovanovic was killed early in the morning of 28 May, after being shot by unidentified assailants in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. Jovanovic, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the opposition daily Dan, was shot in the head and chest by as he as he was entering his car outside his office. He died several hours later in hospital after undergoing surgery. The editor had reportedly received a vague death threat a month earlier, however the motive for his murder has not yet been determined.
Sri Lanka (3)
Kandasamy Iyer Balanadarajah was fatally shot by two unidentified assailants on 16 August in the capital city of Colombo. Kandasamy, who also went by the pseudonym Sinna Baia, was a correspondent for the Tamil weekly newspaper "Thinamurasu" and a spokesman for the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP). The motivation behind his murder is not yet known, however local sources reportedly suspect that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) may have ordered his assassination in retaliation for the EPDP’s support of the efforts of an LTTE splinter group to form a political party.
Aiyathurai Nadesan was shot and killed on 31 May by unidentified assailants in Batticaloa, a town on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. The journalist was on his way to work when he was gunned down. Nadesan, a veteran Tamil journalist who used the pen name Nellai G. Nadesan, had been with the national Tamil-language daily Virakesari for 20 years. The journalist was an active critic of the government and security forces and had reportedly been harassed and threatened prior to his murder. No group has claimed responsibility for his killing.
Lanka Jayasundara was killed in a December 11 grenade attack at a music concert that had drawn controversy because it was held on the anniversary of a Buddhist cleric’s death. Jayasundara was on assignment for Wijeya Publications, a sponsor of the event and publisher of several English- and Sinhala-language newspapers and magazines. According to local news reports, he was standing in the area between the stage and the VIP enclosure when the grenade exploded. No group took responsibility for the attack.
Venezuela (1)
Mauro Marcano was shot by unidentified attackers in the parking lot of his apartment building on 1 September in the city of Maturín, eastern Monagas State. The journalist hosted the radio show "De frente con el pueblo" (Facing the People), for the station Radio Maturín. In addition, he wrote a weekly column titled "Sin bozal" (Without Muzzle) for the Maturín-based daily “El Oriental”. A handgun belonging to Marcano was reportedly found by his body. At the time of his murder, Marcano was also a municipal councilman for the regional political movement Fuerza Monaguense. According to his colleagues, Marcano aggressively denounced drug trafficking and police corruption on both his show and in his column. His reports have also been attributed with helping police capture drug traffickers in the past.
