Journalists Killed in 2011 - Motive Unconfirmed: David Niño de Guzmán

Agencia de Noticias Fides
April 20, 2011, in La Paz, Bolivia

Niño de Guzmán, 42, news director for the La Paz-based Agencia de Noticias Fides, was found dead on April 21, the victim of an explosive device, after being reported missing two days earlier.

Niño de Guzmán's body was discovered around midday in La Paz's Retamanis neighborhood near the Orkojahuira River, news reports said. A forensic report said the explosive device had destroyed the journalist's abdomen, according to press reports.

News reports, citing police, said the death occurred sometime early on April 20. La Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Crimen, the special investigative unit of the Bolivian police, was investigating several theories for the journalist's death, news reports said.

Julieta Tovar, a reporter for Agencia de Noticias Fides, told CPJ she was not aware of any threats against Niño de Guzmán. Police said none of the journalist's belongings had been stolen, news reports said.

During his 16 years as a journalist, Niño de Guzmán worked for several top news dailies, including La Razón and El Diario, and for Cadena A television. He joined Agencia de Noticias Fides, a Jesuit-affiliated agency, as a reporter in 2006 and became news director in March 2010. In a statement, five Bolivian press organizations called on authorities to investigate Niño de Guzmán's death, adding that a journalism-related motive should not be ruled out, Los Tiempos reported.

Motive Unconfirmed: CPJ is investigating to determine whether the death was work-related.

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