The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) celebrated the arrest of five suspects accused of killing Brazilian journalist Edinaldo Filgueira, blogger and director of the local chapter of the Workers Party in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.
"Brazilian authorities must now ensure that all those involved in the slaying, including the masterminds of his murder, are brought to justice," Carlos Lauría, CPJ senior coordinator for the Americas, said in a statement.
Filgueira, 36 years old, was shot to death June 15 in the city of Serra do Mel. Police are continuing to investigate to determine who was the mastermind behind the journalist's death.
CPJ also noted that Brazil was re-added to the organization's Impunity Index after falling off a year ago. The return to the index is in part because of the country's inability to solve the October 2010 killing of investigative journalist Francisco Gomes de Medeiros. "While Brazilian authorities have had success in prosecuting journalist murders, winning several convictions in recent years, the country still sees persistent anti-press violence," CPJ said.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
