The Press and Society Institute (IPYS in Spanish) said that the first months of 2013 have been "disastrous" for freedom of information in Peru, according to a report published by the organization on its website. According to IPYS, there have been 12 attacks so far this year, up from the same time in 2011 and 2012, when there were 9 and 10 attacks, respectively.
IPYS highlighted three of the attacks as especially grave, which included the killing of a photojournalist for the newspaper El Comercio, Luis Choy. The motive for the crime remains unknown. The press freedom organization also mentioned the case of another journalist shot dead by three suspects on his way to work, as well as a mayor's alleged connection to a fire at a radio broadcaster's offices.
These attacks reflect a trend identified by IPYS in its 2012 report that the northern part of Peru and the city of Lima, the capital, are the most dangerous places for journalists.
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.
