A journalist who was investigating femicides in Colombia was shot dead

Luis Gabriel PereiraAged 25, he was a journalist and director of a digital media that investigated cases of feminicide. Era shot to death this Tuesday in the municipality of Ciénaga de Oro, in the department of Córdoba, in Colombia.

Last Tuesday, two hit men traveling on motorbikes intercepted him in the middle of a road. One of them went down and shot him at point blank rangeas specified by the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP).

Pereira was a journalist and director of digital media notoriousthat recently had revealed the name of an alleged killer of women in Ciénaga de Oro, he also investigated news related to public order, security and judicial matters.

The authorities have offered to Reward of $2,200 for any information that might help locate the two killers.

“We reject and deeply regret the murder of journalist Luis Gabriel Pereira in Ciénaga de Oro, Córdoba, who recently he had denounced the murders committed against women in this municipality”, wrote the Minister of the Interior, Louis Fernando Velascoon his Twitter account.

Furthermore, the official urged “the judicial authorities to investigate these events and find the whereabouts of those responsible”. And he concluded: “We ask to work against the stigmatization of the people who carry out this fundamental work for democracy”.

For his part, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human RightsPedro Vaca condemned the murder on social networks and launched an “appeal to include his journalistic work within the investigative hypotheses”.

“The Attorney General, chaired by Attorney Francisco Barbosa, must include in its investigative hypotheses that the motive for the murder may be related to his journalism practice. Furthermore, it is the duty of the Prosecutor’s Office to diligently investigate the crime and to take the urgent actions necessary to undertake the investigative actions that allow to identify the perpetrators and the material determinants,” said FLIP.

If it will be established that the murder is related to his informative work, the young man he would be the third journalist murdered in the last seven months in Colombia, according to data from FLIP. Furthermore, according to the organization, two other recent cases of murdered journalists in the same region remain unpunished.

FLIP also requested that the president Gustav Peter publicly repudiate the killing; and take action to prevent violence against journalists, which totaled 218 threats in 2022.

According to Reporters Without Borders, Colombia is the third most dangerous country for journalists in Latin Americabehind Mexico and Brazil.