Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Former Peruvian minister accused of murder of journalist

A retired army general and former Peruvian minister has been accused of murdering a journalist 26 years ago and could be facing a fail term, according to a prosecutor.

Daniel Urresti, a former army general, widely tipped as a possible presidential candidate, is accused of orchestrating the murder of Hugo Bustios, a journalist who had been investigating human rights abuses, during the country’s conflict involving leftist militant organisation Shining Path.

Two former soldiers were convicted of his murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison. One of them accused Mr Urresti of being involved in the killing.

Prosecutor Luis Landa said that as local army intelligence chief at the time, Mr Urresti bore responsibility for the killing. He is seeking 25-year prison term for Mr Urresti.

Mr Urresti meanwhile said the claims were politically motivated and denied involvement in the murder.

See more from the BBC here, the Guardian here and Wall Street Journal here.

 

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.