Julio Castillo Narváez (died May 3, 2011) was a

Peruvian Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...

producer and

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

of a radio news program on the Radio Ollantay station. He was known as a stern critic of the local government. Narváez was murdered in Viru,

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, on

World Press Freedom Day The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day or just World Press Day, observed to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the righ ...

in 2011. According to the

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists. The '' American Journalism ...

, Narváez was one of three broadcast journalists killed in Peru that year.

Career

Julio Castillo Narváez worked in journalism for more than 20 years. He was the host of the radio program ''Noticiero Ollantay''. He had worked for Radio Ollantay as a Radio Programme producer.

Death

Shortly before his murder, Narváez and another journalist had received threatening messages, and the show had been vandalized after Narváez accused regional council member Herbert Jimenez Urquiaga of a suspected real estate business deal. Following the acts of vandalism, local police were contacted in a plea for protection of the premises and hosts, however, the request was declined. Having regularly received death threats, he continued to criticize the local government. On May 3, 2011, Castillo was shot six times by four men during lunch at a restaurant. Despite the public nature of his murder, his assailants escaped immediate capture.

Irina Bokova Irina Georgieva Bokova (; born 12 July 1952) is a Bulgarian politician and a former Director-General of UNESCO (2009–2017). During her political and diplomatic career in Bulgaria, she served, among others, two terms as a member of the Nation ...

, the director-general of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, condemned Castillo's slaying: "This crime is an attack on the basic human right of journalists and citizens to speak their mind and hold free debates about issues that concern them. The tragedy of this killing is made all the more poignant for occurring on a day dedicated to the celebration of press freedom. I urge the authorities to investigate this killing and bring its culprits to justice.” Despite the pressure applied by UNESCO and NGOs, no progress has been made in the case. However, there have been two additional shootings, one of them with a similar motive to Castillo's murder. His murder was followed months later by the killing of another Peruvian journalist Pedro Alfonso Flores Silva, who worked for Channel 6 in

Chimbote Chimbote ; ) is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the largest city in the Ancash Region and the List of cities in Peru, tenth most populous in Peru. With a population of 425,367 in 2017, it is the capital of both Santa Province and Chimbote Dist ...

, on 8 September. The third broadcast host José Oquendo Reyes, of both Radio Alas Peruanas and BTV Canal 45, was killed 14 September in Pueblo Nuevo.

Reaction

Many journalism groups have spoken out and condemned Castillo's murder, and have called for authorities to tighten and continue the investigation.

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...

said, “The political aspects of the case will almost certainly result in attempts to pressure the investigation."

International Federation of Journalists The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest global union federation of journalists' trade unions in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries. The IFJ is an associate ...

Jim Boumelha said, "This is a shocking cold blooded murder and we urge the authorities to leave no stone unturned in the hunt for our colleague's killers who must face justice, it appears that the victim received threats prior to his murder, suggesting he was targeted for his journalistic work. The fact that he was killed on World Press Freedom Day adds to the hurt and the suffering from this tragedy but should also strengthen our resolve to stop violence against journalists".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo Narvaez, Julio Year of birth missing 2011 deaths Assassinated Peruvian journalists Peruvian male journalists Peruvian male writers Deaths by firearm in Peru 20th-century Peruvian journalists 21st-century Peruvian journalists