New York, April 27, 2021 — In response to news reports that Spanish journalists David Beriain and Roberto Fraile were killed after being abducted yesterday in eastern Burkina Faso while working on a documentary, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:
“Authorities in Burkina Faso must thoroughly and transparently investigate the killings of journalists David Beriain and Roberto Fraile and ensure that those responsible are found and brought to justice,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator. “Too often journalists are killed with impunity; authorities must ensure that does not happen in this case, and should find the attackers and the planners of this violent act at once.”
The two journalists were working on a documentary about poaching when unidentified gunmen ambushed the group of about 40 people they were traveling with, according to those news reports. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed the journalists’ deaths in a tweet today.
Reached by messaging app, Peggy Ouedraogo, a communication officer for Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Communication, shared a statement that confirmed four people had disappeared during an attack in a wildlife reserve in the eastern part of the country on April 26.