H.E. Luis Inacio Lula da Silva
President
Office of the President
Palacio do Planalto
Praca do Tres Poderes
10.150-900 Brasilia, DF
Federative Republic of Brazil
Fax: (011.55.61) 411-2222
Your Excellency:
We write to join Reporters Without Borders (RWB) in condemning the recent attempted murder of João Alckmin, host of the program,”Showtime,” on Ra¡dio Piratininga. Mr. Alckmin was injured when an unknown assailant opened fire on him in So Jose dos Campos, in São Paulo. Although his injuries are not life-threatening, we cannot accept what seems to be chronic impunity for abusive treatment of journalists in your country. According to RWB, Alckmin was attacked because he has been reporting on criminal racketeering and political corruption.
Alckmin came under fire as he walked his dog in the city center on 22 November 2007. His dog attacked the gunman, who fled on a motorbike, leaving the victim with neck, arm and back injuries. Several witnesses had a clear view of the gunman’s face.
For the past five years Alckmin, 55, who is in hospital and under police protection, has been investigating the criminal control of gaming machines and collusion on the part of police officials. His daughter said he had received scores of anonymous threats both by phone and in the post. According to RWB, Alckmin was the intended target in a similar shooting this past July when his lawyer, Rodrigo Duenhas, was mistaken for him and shot in the neck while traveling in a car with Alckminâ??s wife, lawyer, Tânia Lis Tizzoni Nogueira.
We urge you to order a thorough investigation to find and punish those responsible for the attack. Despite progress in press freedom, your country is still plagued by violent physical attacks against and murders of journalists, sometimes implicating the police. Among other incidents:
â?¢ In September, Correio Braziliense reporter, Amaury Ribeiro Jr., was shot and wounded in the abdomen while investigating a story on organized crime in the outskirts of BrasÃÂÂlia. Four men were arrested shortly after the attack. Police said the shooting was not linked to the journalist@quot;s work, but Ribeiro told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) he believed he was targeted for his reporting.
â?¢ In May, unidentified assailants gunned down Luiz Carlos Barbon Filho in the small city of Porto Ferreira. In his last radio report, Barbon accused several people connected with the local government of corruption. He had said on the air that they should be held accountable if anything were to happen to him, the Brazilian press reported. There has been no progress in the investigation into his murder.
We are encouraged to hope that your government will address all these cases. In August, 2007, a government report on hundreds of political killings and disappearances committed under Brazilâ??s military regime was an important step toward addressing years of official impunity. You presented the report at a ceremony with victims@quot; relatives in Brasilia. We trust you will now back up these words with forceful action.
During a three-day visit to Brazil this week, the top United Nations human rights official U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, praised Brazilâ??s recent accomplishments in that realm, but pointed out that other obstacles remain. She encouraged your government to bolster efforts to improve the administration of justice, particularly the widespread use of pre-trial detention. The High Commissioner also suggested innovative measures to alleviate prison overcrowding, further accountability among law enforcement officials and prevention of abuses against detainees.
The Overseas Press Club of America, an independent organization that has defended press freedom around the world for nearly seventy years, thanks you for your attention. We will appreciate a reply.
Respectfully yours,
Tala Dowlatshahi
Larry Martz
Freedom of the Press Committee
cc:
Antonio Aguier Patriota
Ambassador of the Brazil to the USA
Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil
3006 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: (202) 238.2827
Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeira Viotti
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the United Nations
747 3rd Avenue, 9th floor
New York, NY 10017
Fax: (212) 371.5716
Clifford Sobel
U.S. Ambassador to Brazil
Embassy of the United States of America
SES-Quadra 801, Lote 03
70403-900 Brazilia, DF
Brazil
Fax: (011.55.61) 3225.9137
Rudolfo Fernandez Ricardo Trotti
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O Globo Inter-American Press Association
Rua Irineu Marinbo #35 News
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Rio de Janeiro 20230 901 Miami, FL 33129
Brazil Fax: (305) 635.2272
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Roberto Gazzi
Editor-in-Chief
O Estado de Sao Paulo
Av. Engenheiro Caetano Alvaez 55, 6 andarBairro Limao
Sap Paulo 02598 900 S.P.
Brazil
Roberto.gazzi.grupeoestado.com.br