JUNE 28, 2007
Posted July 26, 2007
Sandro Chambergo, Correo
Paola Lee, América Televisión
Perla Polo, América Televisión
Gerardo Pérez, La República
Rafael Rojas, La República
ATTACKED
A group of unidentified land traffickers fired on Chambergo, a reporter for the national daily Correo; Lee and Polo, a reporter and a camerawoman for the national television station América Televisión; and Pérez and Rojas, a reporter and a photographer for the national daily La República.
Landowners from the town of San Julián invited the five journalists to witness what they called the illegal occupation of their land in the northeastern Chiclayo province by land traffickers, Lee told CPJ. The journalists arrived at the small Briceño community, near San Julián, in cars with a group of local landowners, said Lee. They stepped off the vehicles and were walking around the area when unidentified men, who were squatting in the surrounding fields, began to shoot at the group. According to Lee, one of the landowners yelled “don’t shoot, the press is here,” but the gunfire intensified. One assailant shouted, “Get the photographer and the girl in the red shirt,” referring to Rojas and Polo, Lee told CPJ.
None of the journalists was injured but eight landowners received minor gunshot wounds. According to Lee, the landowners reported the incident to local police.