Radio station owner gunned down in Colombia
Radio station owner gunned down in Colombia
Bogotá, February 18, 2015--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder on Saturday of a Colombian radio station owner and calls on authorities to identify the motive and ensure the perpetrators are held to account. Luis Carlos Peralta Cuéllar was a journalist and an aspiring politician who often broadcast reports criticizing political corruption in the southern Colombian town of Doncello.
"Luis Carlos Peralta Cuéllar must not be added to the long list of journalists who have been murdered with impunity in Colombia," said Robert Mahoney, CPJ's deputy director, from New York. "Authorities must investigate all possible motives, including Peralta's journalism and any possible political involvement in the crime, and bring those responsible to justice."
Peralta, 63, owner and director of Linda Stereo radio station in Doncello, was shot three times in the head by two gunmen who entered his home around 6 p.m., Geovanny Canacué, a Linda Stereo reporter, told CPJ. Peralta's wife was shot in the arm, but was in stable condition at a local hospital, Canacué said. The attack took place at Peralta's house, which doubled as the radio station headquarters.
Peralta founded Linda Stereo in 1998 and often broadcast critical editorials and news reports during a segment called "Palabras del Director" (Words from the Director). Canacué said that Peralta often used the segment to denounce government corruption in Doncello and nearby towns. He had recently reported on alleged cost overruns in the purchase of garbage trucks in Doncello, according to the Bogotá-based Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP).
Eight days before he was killed, Peralta told Canacué that he had received threats, but that he did not want to discuss them over the phone. The two men had planned to meet to discuss the details, Canacué said.
More:
https://cpj.org/2015/02/radio-station-owner-gunned-down-in-colombia.php
