A Peruvian journalist working in the area of human rights received two phone calls with death threats and an envelope with four bullets on Oct. 4, according to the Press and Society Institute, or IPYS. The relatives of Rosario Huayanca Zapata, who works for the Human Rights Commission of Ica (in the south-central region of the country), received the phone calls, while the envelope was found at her work.
A note in the envelope also extorted the journalist, demanding a payment of $30,000, according the web portal Voces. The threats were also against the executive director of the organization.
The Human Rights Commission of Ica supports the victims of alleged human rights violations. The most recent complaint they’ve received is related to the rape of a young worker, published the Center of Informative Reports of Guatemala, Cerigua. According to the criminalistics division of Peru, other people have received threats related to this case.
IPYS condemned the threats against the journalist and asked the authorities to investigate the case and guarantee her protection.
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.
