Journalist is murdered by alleged hitmen in northern Peru

Peruvian journalist Fernando Núñez Guevara, director of the Kamila TV news portal, was murdered this Saturday by alleged hitmen when he was returning from a journalistic coverage in the province of Pacasmayo, in the La Libertad region, located in the north of the country, the National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP) reported today. The journalistic guild issued a statement in which it expressed "its deep sorrow and its strongest condemnation of the murder of journalist Fernando Núñez Guevara" and recalled that he is the third journalist murdered in 2025. "This crime once again mourns the guild and strikes at the freedom of the press in the country," stated the ANP, adding that the journalist was also the secretary of the interior, records, and archives of the ANP itself in the city of Chepén.

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He specified that Núñez Guevara was attacked by alleged hitmen while traveling on a motorcycle with his brother after returning from a press coverage, on the afternoon of December 6, in the sector known as Curva La Barranca, on the Panamericana Norte highway. The attack caused the immediate death of the journalist and his brother was left in critical condition. "This new event —the third murder of a journalist so far this year, following the cases of Gastón Medina, in Ica, and Raúl Celis, in Iquitos—, demonstrates an intolerable escalation of violence against those who exercise the right to inform," added the union. He maintained that each life taken not only represents a direct attack on journalism, but also on democracy and the right of citizens to be informed. The ANP demanded that the competent authorities conduct a thorough, swift, and transparent investigation, and that the lead linked to the colleague's professional work be prioritized. In this regard, he added that in all crimes against journalists, this line of investigation should be addressed as the main one, "without diverting or delaying proceedings that may be decisive in clarifying the facts." He also called on the Public Prosecutor's Office and the National Police to act with the urgency and rigor that the case demands so that impunity in these crimes does not continue to be "the rule". "Every unsolved murder encourages new attacks and deepens the structural risk faced by those who report from the territory," said the ANP. Last January, journalist Gastón Medina, owner and director of the local media outlet Cadena Sur TV, was murdered at the door of his house in the city of Ica (south), after having previously denounced extortionists. Four months later, journalist and radio host Raúl Celis was also murdered by alleged hitmen in the Amazonian city of Iquitos.