Peru: Peruvian journalist's wife killed in struggle with gunman looking for her husband

IFEX

21 October 2014
Instituto Prensa y Sociedad

 

On the morning of 17 October 2014, a hired gunman entered the offices of Radio Rumba in the district of Pichanaki aiming to threaten the life of radio journalist Gerson Fabián Cuba. As a result of an ensuing struggle, Gloria Limas Calle, the journalist's wife, received a bullet in the chest and died. This incident took place in Junín.

A stranger arrived at the radio station asking for the journalist, who was on air presenting the first few minutes of his program. He was followed by another man carrying a gun who also demanded to see Fabián. He immediately fired the gun, upsetting the journalist's teenage son. Given the situation, Limas Calle attempted to defend her husband. The hired gunmen fled down the stairs firing two bullets, one of which hit Fabián's wife. The assailant left the area on a motorcycle.

Fabián told IPYS that some days earlier he had criticized a demonstration against Pluspetrol, which was organized by radical groups. He also noted that on his program he had reported on debts held by the mayoral candidate for Pichamaki, Alfredo Juan de Dios Torres, who is also allegedly linked to groups of land speculators. However, he could not say who the killers might be or why they were looking for him.

IPYS demands that the authorities immediately find the whereabouts of these two individuals to determine the reasons for this heinous event.