Press release June 28, 2016
Fifth Journalist Murdered in Guatemala This Year
Guatemalan journalist and radio reporter Álvaro Alfredo Aceituno López was assassinated in Coatepeque.
Washington
In response to the assassination of Guatemalan journalist and radio reporter Álvaro Alfredo Aceituno López in the municipality of Coatepeque, Freedom House issued the following statement:
“Authorities in Guatemala should urgently conduct a thorough investigation into the murder of Álvaro Alfredo Aceituno López, the fifth journalist assassinated in Guatemala so far this year,” said Carlos Ponce, director for Latin American programs. “Police and judicial authorities should counter the clear, growing dangers to journalists by offering protection and aggressive investigations of threats and crimes against them.”
Background:
On June 25, two persons on a motorcycle shot to death Aceituno Lopez as he waited for a bus in Coatepeque. A journalist for more than 30 years, Aceituno Lopez administered the community radio station Illusion and moderated the radio program Acontecer Coatepecano, which tackled health, education, security and local governance issues.
Guatemala is rated Partly Free in Freedom in the World 2016, and Partly Free in Freedom of the Press 2016.