H. E. Alberto Fujimoro
President of Peru
Lima
Peru
Vienna, 8 April 1998
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives, strongly condemns the killing of a radio journalist in northern Peru.
We are informed that Isabel Chumpitaz, a radio journalist who championed peasant farmers’ rights in Peru, was shot and beaten to death by a dozen unknown assailants who stormed her home on Monday, 6 April. Armed with rifles and pistols, the group of attackers asked Chumpitaz to identify herself before killing her and her husband. They also forced their way into the neighbouring houses of her relatives, stabbing one brother in the chest and shooting another in the legs.
Chumpitaz, 35, presented a daily program called The Peoples’ Voice, which was broadcast in the northern coastal district of La Unión. Villagers and farmers often called the tiny radio station to voice complaints against the regional and central governments on the programme, which Chumpitaz used to promote campaigns for improved services in the area.
Peru, along with Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil, is one of the most dangerous places for journalists in Latin America. Journalists are often subjected to threats, harassment and physical attacks after their stories are published. Three journalists (Miguel Bravo Quispe, a correspondent for the daily El Comercio, Tito Pilco Mori, owner and director of Radio Frecuencia Popular, and Eduardo Parado Samaniego, a radio journalist for Radio Marginal) were murdered in Peru in 1997.
IPI fears that Isabel Chumpitaz may have been killed as a direct result of her professional work and urges Your Excellency to order an immediate and thorough investigation into this heinous crime. We further urge you to ensure that the Peruvian government takes all possible steps to ensure the safety of journalists in Peru and to stop the alarming impunity that has accompanied attacks on the press.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director
