The kidnapping and torture of two journalists and a driver working undercover in Rio de Janeiro exposed the risks to Brazilian journalists, especially those reporting on organized crime in urban areas. Throughout the country, journalists covering mayoral and legislative campaigns faced legal and physical harassment.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2008 Extra HARASSED A group of armed men forcefully bought more than 30,000 copies of the September 29 issue of the Rio de Janeiro-based daily Extra in various parts of the city’s metropolitan area, said reports in the local press. According to a story on Extra’s Web site, the assailants were attempting to…
Anderson Leandro, QuemTV, October 23, 2008 Military police shot Leandro, a cameraman for the human rights television producing company QuemTV, in the face with a rubber bullet while he was covering a clash between police and protesters in the Fazendinha neighborhood of Curitiba in the Paraná state, 310 miles (500 kilometers) south of São Paulo. The journalist told…
OCTOBER 26, 2008 Graciliano Rocha, Folha de S.Paulo ATTACKED Supporters of local mayor José Fogaçaat, who won reelection on October 26, attacked Rocha, correspondent for the national daily Folha de S.Paulo in the southern city of Porto Alegre, in retaliation for his negative coverage of Fogaçaat’s government and his campaign, according to CPJ sources.
New York, July 28, 2008–Armed and hooded men threatened three Brazilian photographers covering a weekend visit by Sen. Marcelo Crivella, a Rio de Janeiro mayoral candidate, to a poor city neighborhood. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Brazilian authorities to ensure that journalists covering sensitive issues such as drug trafficking and organized crime…
New York, July 24, 2008–Unidentified individuals set fire to the home of critical journalist Jeso Carneiro on Sunday night in the northern city of Santarém. No one was injured but the house suffered considerable damage. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Brazilian authorities to investigate the attack and provide the necessary protection to allow…
UPDATE JUNE 16, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 O Dia ATTACKED, THREATENED Odinei Fernando da Silva, a police officer believed to be the leader of a paramilitary group that kidnapped and tortured two journalists and a driver working undercover for the Rio de Janeiro-based daily O Dia, surrendered to police according to international news reports.…
New York, June 2, 2008–The Committee to Protect Journalists is shocked by allegations that a paramilitary group with links to local police kidnapped and tortured two journalists and a driver working undercover in a Rio de Janeiro slum. CPJ called on Brazilian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. “We are appalled by O Dia’s allegations…
New York, May 21, 2008—Two unidentified individuals fired on a marked car driven by a reporter for TV Diário de Mogi in São Paulo on Thursday. Edson Ferraz, who was not injured, told local reporters that he believes the attack was in retaliation for his recent reporting on police corruption. The Committee to Protect Journalists…