Radio station FM Cerrillos, out of San José de Cerrillos in the province of Salta in Argentina, is off the air after its transmission equipment was stolen, and a fire was started that left one person injured, reported La Hora de Jujuy and Noticias Iruya.
The station is owned by journalist Carlos Villanueva and is located in his house. The attacked occurred Wednesday, Aug. 24.
Villanueva blamed local mayor Rubén Corimayo, whose rule he has openly criticized, for the fire that destroyed his car and wreaked havoc in his home. The fire also burned his son's knees and hands from trying to put out the flames. “We have been systematically denouncing the mayor's many irregularities...He stole our radio equipment, he has threatened us, and now he's even trying to kill me, and my family," the journalist told FM Alba.
The reporter's neighbors organized a march against the attack, reported Radio Salta, while the Association of Salta Journalists (APES) condemned the attack and the Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA) called on authorities to protect Villanueva so he can continue working as a journalist "without fear of reprisals."
La emisora es propiedad del periodista Carlos Villanueva y se ubica en la residencia del profesional. El ataque ocurrió el martes 24 de agosto.
Villanueva acusó al intendente local Rubén Corimayo, cuya gestión ha criticado abiertamente, de ser responsable del incendio que destruyó su vehículo y provocó destrozos en su vivienda, y que, además, dejó a su hijo con quemaduras en rodillas y manos al intentar sofocarlo. “Venimos denunciando sistemáticamente las innumerables irregularidades que tiene este intendente (…) nos robaron los equipos de la radio, nos han amenazado, y ahora llegaron a atentar contra mi vida, contra mi familia”, dijo el periodista a FM Alba.
Vecinos del reportero organizaron una marcha en repudio al atentado, dijo Radio Salta, mientras que la Asociación de Periodistas de Salta (APES) condenó el ataque y el Foro de Periodismo Argentino (FOPEA) exigió a las autoridades otorgar las garantías necesarias para que Villanueva pueda seguir realizando su tarea periodística "sin temor a represalias”.
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.
