TV cameraman gunned down in Dominican Republic

Murder comes three days after shooting attack on newspaper reporter. Reporters Without Borders is alarmed by the sudden surge in violence against journalists in the Dominican Republic after two unidentified gunmen fatally shot Newton González, a cameraman and video editor with Canal 25, in the northern city of Santiago yesterday. The police have ruled out robbery as the murder motive because the gunmen left the scene without taking anything from the victim. He was gunned down on one of Santiago’s main streets in broad daylight. What with death threats, attacks, murder attempts and now González’s murder, a climate of extreme violence against journalists has developed in the Dominican Republic and freedom of information is in full retreat. “We urge the Dominican authorities to take all possible measures to identify those responsible for this murder and bring them to justice,” said Camille Soulier, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Americas desk. “The reasons for this surge in violence against journalists must also be identified quickly.” González’s murder came three days unidentified gunmen opened fire on El Nacional correspondent Pedro Fernández in his car in the northeastern city of San Francisco de Macorís. Fernández, who was not hurt, had reported in January that he had evidence of a plot to kill him. The Dominican Republic is ranked 68th out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. Picture : acento.com
Slideshow : eldia.com