Guatemala: Two Journalists Found Murdered, Execution-Style

By teleSUR

03 February 18

Eleven Guatemalan journalists were murdered last year, bringing the total killed since 2000 to 36, according to the Association of Journalists of Guatemala.

wo Guatemalan journalists were found shot in the head Friday, their bodies abandoned in a cane field with their feet and hands bound, in the municipality of Mazatenango, Suchitepequez.

Laurent Angel Castillo Cifuentes was a correspondent in Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango, for the Nuestro Diario newspaper and a local culture magazine. Cifuentes' father told reporters that his son never revealed that he was being threatened.

The other journalist, Luis Alfredo De Leon Miranda, worked for radio station Coatepec. Both had traveled to Mazatenango to cover the local carnival celebrations.

The victims' bodies have been transferred to the morgue at the National Institute of Forensic Sciences of Tiquisate, Escuintla, where an investigation will soon begin into their deaths.

Guatemala’s Human Rights Ombudsman Jordan Rodas Andrade condemned the murders, expressing "sympathy and solidarity" with the families and friends of the deceased and calling for a "prompt investigation" to find those responsible for the "despicable event."

In a report released Thursday, Andrade warned that journalists remain one of the most vulnerable groups in Guatemala, particularly those covering corruption, abuse of power or organized crime.

On Tuesday, the Inter-American Press Association (SIP) expressed concern over attacks against journalists, condemning the words of Guatemala City Mayor and former president Alvaro Arzu – who said "we have to go over the head of negative media" – as dangerous and inciting.

Last year, 11 Guatemalan journalists were murdered, bringing the total killed since 2000 to 36, according to the Association of Journalists of Guatemala.