17 August 2005
JOURNALIST MURDERED
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) are calling for an investigation into the murder of Rony Adolfo Olivas Olivas, a journalist who was shot dead on 14 August 2005 in Estelí, Nicaragua. The IFEX member says there is reason to believe he may have been targeted for reporting on drug trafficking.
Olivas, 47, was reportedly shot twice by a taxi driver, who fled the scene of the crime. He had been a reporter for the daily newspaper "La Prensa" since 1991 and also reported for the radio station Liberación. Olivas was president of the Estelí branch of the Nicaraguan Journalists' Union (Unión de Periodistas de Nicaragua, UPN).
In its 2004 press freedom report, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) notes that while Nicaraguan journalists are often able to work freely in the country, reporters in isolated regions where the government has little control are at risk from drug traffickers and corrupt officials.
For more information, visit:
- IFJ Alert: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/68664/
- IAPA: http://tinyurl.com/bmejg
- La Prensa: http://www-usa.laprensa.com.ni/nacionales/nacionales-20050816-16.html
- CPJ Report on Nicaragua: http://www.cpj.org/attacks04/americas04/nica.html
- IPI Report: http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/Americas/nicaragu.htm
- RSF Report on Nicaragua: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10057
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