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Rabah Zenati, Algerian State Television, August 3, 1993, Algiers Zenati, a reporter for Algerian State Television, was killed by unknown assailants on August 3 outside his parents' home in a suburb of Algiers. Some reports have attributed Zenati's murder to statements he made on television while covering a march against terrorism that took place on March 22. According to one report, family members said that Zenati had received death threats in the mail from members of an Islamic resistance movement. Abdelhamid Benmeni, Algérie-Actualité, August 9, 1993, Algiers Benmeni, a reporter who held an administrative position at the French-language weekly magazine Algérie-Actualité, was killed by three unknown assailants at his home in Eucalyptus, Algiers. Saad Bakhtaoui, El-Minbar, September 10, 1993, Algiers Bakhtaoui, formerly a reporter with El-Minbar, organ of the Popular Association for Unity and Action, was kidnapped on September 10. His body was found on September 11 or 12 in Larbaa, near Algiers. Bakhtaoui had been shot to death. Abderrahmane Chergou, former journalist, September 28, 1993, Algiers Chergou, a former journalist and official of the leftist PAGS party, was stabbed to death outside his home in the Algiers suburb of Mohammedia. Djamel Bouhidel, Nouveau Tell, October 5, 1993, Blida Bouhidel, a photographer with the weekly Nouveau Tell, was killed in Blida, west of Algiers. Mustafa Abada, Algerian State Television, October 14, 1993, Algiers Abada, former director of Algerian State Television (He was replaced in August 1993) was shot and killed in Ain Taya, near Algiers, presumably by Muslim fundamentalists. Smail Yefsah, Algerian State Television, October 18, 1993, Algiers Yefsah, assistant news director of Algerian State Television, was stabbed and then shot to death outside his home in Bab Ezzouar, in Algiers. Algerian newspapers held a one-day strike after his murder to protest the ongoing terror campaign against journalists. Youcef Sebti, free-lancer, December 27, 1992, El Harrach Sebti, a poet and free-lance journalist, was murdered at night in his room at the National Institute for Agronomy in El Harrach, where he taught and resided. He was found the next morning with his throat slit and, according to one report, two bullets in his abdomen. Sebti frequently contributed to Algerian publications, including the independent daily El-Watan. Angola: 3 Jose Manuel, Benguela Province Radio, May 1, 1993, Benguel Jose Maria dos Santos, Radio Morena, May 1, 1993, Benguel Manuel, a reporter with Benguela Province Radio, and dos Santos, a journalist with Radio Morena, a privately owned station in Benguela, were assassinated after having been beaten by assailants. According to a national radio broadcast, fishers near the scene said that the victims were taken from a car at dawn, dragged to the beach, and shot. The Voice of the Black Cockerel, a rebel radio station, reported that government forces detained the two men and took them to a state security prison, where they were interrogated, beaten, and executed. The bodies were left on a beach in Lobito. Police said they were investigating the murders. Elpidio Inacio, Televisao Popular de Angola, August 23, 1993, Kuito Inacio, a correspondent for Televisao Popular de Angola, Angola's state-owned television channel, was killed when caught in cross fire between UNITA rebels and government troops while covering the battle for control of Kuito, the site of intense fighting during the weeks before his death. Kuito, the capital of Bie Province, lies approximately 80 miles northeast of the city of Huambo, UNITA's stronghold. Bosnia: 5 Karmela Sojanovic, Oslobodjenje, January 10, 1993, Sarajevo Sojanovic, who worked for the daily Oslobodjenje, was killed by a sharpshooter at her home in Sarajevo. Two of her colleagues at the paper had been killed in 1992, and two others had disappeared and were presumed dead. Guido Puletti, free-lancer, May 29, 1993, central Bosnia Puletti, a free-lancer working for the Italian publication Mondo Economico, was killed in Central Bosnia when the relief convoy in which he was traveling was ambushed. Puletti and two relief workers were shot and killed. Dominique Lonneux, free-lancer, June 2, 1993, western Herzegovina Lonneux, a Belgian cameraman who was working for a Mexican television news team, was wounded and later died when a United Nations Protection Force convoy in which he was riding was attacked in western Herzegovina. Tasar Omer, free-lancer, June 27, 1993, Sarajevo Omer, a free-lance Turkish journalist, was killed by a sniper in Sarajevo while attending the funeral of seven people who had died in shelling the day before. Ibrahim Goskel, free-lancer, July 10, 1993, Sarajevo Goskel, a free-lance journalist carrying a British passport, was shot and killed at Sarajevo airport. Colombia: 4 Eustorgio Colmenares, La Opinión, March 12, 1993, Cucuta Colmenares, publisher of La Opinión, was shot to death in his home in Cucuta, the capital of Norte de Santander Department. Guerrillas of the National Liberation Army took responsibility for his murder. Carlos Lajud Catalan, ABC Radio, April 19, 1993, Barranquilla Catalan, a journalist for ABC Radio in Barranquilla, was killed by two gunmen riding a motorcycle. Catalan was a tough critic of Barranquilla's mayor, a priest and member of the demobilized guerrilla group M-19. Manuel Martínez Espinoza, Radio Super, September 28, 1993, Popayan Espinoza, 60, a veteran reporter for Radio Super's satire and news program "El Yunque," was killed by gunmen riding on a motorcycle. He frequently criticized drug gangs and politicians. His wife, Emma, was also hurt in the attack when she rushed from their home to help him after she heard the gunshots. Bienvenido Lemos, Caracol Radio, September 30, 1993, Buenaventura Lemos, a 42-year-old reporter with the nationwide Caracol Radio Network, was gunned down in the port city of Buenaventura. El Salvador: 1 Francisco Parada, January 1, 1993, San Salvado Parada, a well-known radio owner and fledgling television owner, was killed in front of his house in San Salvador. Georgia: 3 Alexandra Tuttle, The Wall Street Journal, September 22, 1993, Sukhumi Tuttle, a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, was killed aboard a military aircraft when it was hit by an Abkhazian ground-to-air missile. The plane crashed as the pilot attempted to make an emergency landing in Sukhumi. Tuttle boarded the flight in Tbilisi and was on her way to conduct an interview with Georgian head of state Eduard Shevardnadze. Andrei Soloviev, ITAR-TASS, September 27, 1993, Sukhumi Soloviev, a photo correspondent for ITAR-TASS, was killed by a sniper as he covered the fighting in Sukhumi. David Bolkvadze, Worldwide Television News, October 28, 1993, Kobi Bolkvadze, a Georgian journalist who worked for the United Kingdom based Worldwide Television News, was killed in the town of Kobi while covering the Georgian conflict. Bolkvadze disappeared in Kobi on October 28 and was brought to a hospital with bullet wounds in his stomach. Abkhazian soldiers are suspected of the killing. Honduras: 1 Carlos Grant, El Tiempo, April 26, 1993, El Progreso Grant, 67, the local correspondent for the Tegucigalpa daily El Tiempo in the town of El Progreso, was shot dead by a local money lender who was upset about an article Grant wrote. India: 2 Bhola Nath Masoom, Hind Samachar, January 31, 1993, Rajpura Masoom, a stringer for Hind Samachar and president of the Punjab and Chandigarh Journalist's Council, was shot by two suspected militants near his home in the town of Rajpura. He died the same day. Dinesh Pathak, Sandesh, May 22, 1993, Baroda Pathak, a resident editor of Sandesh newspaper in Baroda, was stabbed to death by a group of assailants while entering the newspaper's office. About six months earlier, during the November Navratri festival in Gujarat, Raju Risaldar, chief of Shiv Sena, a Hindu nationalist political organization, publicly threatened to kill Pathak. Pathak had written articles criticizing the Hindu nationalist party. After Pathak's murder, Risaldar was killed during a scuffle with police. Lebanon: 1 Ahmed Haidar, Al-Manar Television, July 26, 1993, Beirut Haidar, a 27- year-old cameraman with the Hezbollah-owned television station Al-Manar in Beirut, was killed by shelling while covering the Israeli military's incursion into Southern Lebanon in July. Lithuania: 1 Vitas Lingis, Republica, October 12, 1993, Lingis, 33-year-old deputy editor of Republica newspaper, was killed by three shots to his head and spine as he was walking to his car. Lingis, who had written frequently about corruption, had been investigating a story about the Lithuanian criminal underworld. On the day he was shot, he was supposed to meet a government official who had agreed to give him some important information. In November 1994, four people were arrested and convicted of the murder. B. Dekanidze, mastermind of the murder, was sentenced to die by shooting. I. Akhremov, who committed the murder, received a life sentence. His accomplice, V. Slavitsky, was sentenced to 14 years, and the driver, B. Bobichenko, was sentenced to 13 years and 3 months. Peru: 1 María Carlin Fernández, Peruvian Radio and Television Network, December 10, 1993, Chimbote Fernández, former anchorwoman for the local channel of Peruvian Radio and Television Network, was shot dead in a restaurant in Chimbote, on the northern coast of Peru. She had received threats after she began investigating the death of a cousin who was killed in a bar brawl that involved an army intelligence officer. The police claimed that Fernández was the victim of a botched robbery, but the fact she was shot 11 times in the back belies this explanation. Philippines: 1 Romeo Lagaspi, Voice of Zambales, January 11, 1993 Lagaspi, publisher of Voice of Zambales, was last seen by his family on January 11, 1993. He had been charged with criminal libel for a column he wrote on police corruption and had filed a countersuit, which was still pending when he disappeared. Police showed Lagaspi's family photographs of a charred corpse, which they hinted was that of the journalist. Russia: 8 Dmitry Krikoryants, Expresskhronika, April 14, 1993, Grozny Krikoryants, a correspondent for the Moscow-based weekly Expresskhronika in the Chechen city of Grozny, was murdered in his apartment by unknown assailants. After opening machine-gun fire on Krikoryants through the door of his apartment, the killers broke in, shot him several times in the head, and cut his throat. His colleagues fear that he was targeted because of his reporting on alleged Chechen government corruption in oil trading. Yvan Scopan, TF-1 Television Company, October 3, 1993, Moscow Sergei Krasilnikov, Ostankino Television Company, October 3, 1993, Moscow Rory Peck, ARD Television Company, October 3, 1993, Moscow Igor Belozyorov, Ostankino State Broadcasting Company, October 3, 1993, Moscow Vladimir Drobyshev, Nature and Man magazine, October 3, 1993, Moscow Aleksandr Sidelnikov, Lennauchfilm Studio, October 4, 1993, Moscow Aleksandr Smirnov, Molodyozhny Kuryer, October 4, 1993, Moscow Six journalists were killed in Moscow during an October 1993 Communist hardliner uprising against Russian President Boris Yeltsin, which left scores of people dead and wounded. One journalist died of a heart attack during the siege of the Ostankino Television Center. Scopan, a cameraman for TF-1 Television Company; Krasilnikov, a video engineer for Ostankino Television Company; Peck, a cameraman for the German ARD Television Company; and Igor Belozyorov, an editor for the Ostankino State Broadcasting Company were killed in a gun battle between the hardliners and their supporters and pro-Yeltsin special forces units the control of Ostankino Television Center. Vladimir Drobyshev died of a heart attack during the clash. Sidelnikov, a cameraman for Lennauchfilm Studio in St. Petersburg and Smirnov, with the weekly newspaper Molodyozhny Kuryer, were killed at the Russian Parliament house when President Yeltsin ordered the military to seize the building. Somalia: 5 |
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Argentina: 1 Mario Bonino, Union de Trabajadores, November 11, 1993 Bonino, a press officer for the Union de Trabajadores de Prensa, Buenos Aires' largest media workers' union, disappeared after he left his house to attend a union activity. His body was found floating in a river in Buenos Aires on November 15. A coroner's investigation ruled out alcohol and drowning as the cause of death. Union spokesmen said it is not known if his disappearance and death are connected to his work. Bonino was a former reporter for the Argentine daily Diario Popular. Bosnia: 4 Milos Vulovic, Serbian Radio, January 30, 1993, Ilidza Zivko Filipovic, Srpsko Slovo, January 30, 1993, Ilidza Vulovic, a journalist for Serbian Radio, and Filipovic, a photojournalist with Srpsko Slovo, were killed amidst figthing between Bosnian government forces and the Bosnia Serb rebels in Ilidza, a suburb of Sarajevo controlled by Bosnian Serb rebels. Zeljko Ruzicic, Muslim Radio, February 2, 1993, Sarajevo Ruzicic, a Croatian working for Muslim Radio in Sarajevo, was killed by an exploding grenade, according to Muslim Radio. Croatian intelligence sources claim he was assassinated because of his nationality. Ranko Elez, Radio Foca, June 10, 1993, near Foca Elez, a Bosnian Serb journalist working for Radio Foca, was killed by a Muslim sniper during fighting between Muslims and Serbs near Foca. Congo: 1 Laurent Bisset, Radio Congo, November 4, 1993, Bacongo Bisset, a reporter for the state-owned Radio Congo and an outspoken supporter of President Pascal Lissouba, was found dead outside his home in Bacongo, an opposition stronghold. The neighborhood had been besieged for days when fighting broke out between government troops and opposition forces. At least 25 people died, and scores more were wounded. There are contradictory reports as to whether he was targeted for his reporting or killed in cross fire. Philippines: 2 Rosauro Lao, Cotabato News, November 22, 1993, Cotabato Ding Sade, Cotabato News, November 22, 1993, Cotabato Lao and Sade, both of Cotabato News, were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in front of their boarding house in Cotabato City. Police have not established a motive. According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, police said that Lao was killed by a shot in the head, and that Sade died from wounds to the body and left arm. Rwanda: 1 Callixte Kalissa, Television Rwandaise. April 6, 1993, Kigali Kalissa, a television producer with the state-run Television Rwandaise and a former photographer with the state-run Office Rwandais d'Information, was shot dead near his home in the neighborhood of Remera, in Kigali. According to an eyewitness, his assailant was dressed in a military uniform and was aboard a vehicle bearing a government license plate. Several days before the attack, Kalissa had found a grenade at the front doorstep of his house. The motive behind his murder remains unclear. Tajikistan: 7 Saidjonol Fakhriddinov, Navidi Vakhsh, June 1993, Dushanbe Fakhriddinov, a reporter for pro-Islamic, Tajik-language thrice-weekly Navidi Vakhsh, was murdered by The People's Front, according to local journalists. Navidi Vakhsh was published in Khatlon Province, 100 miles south of the capital, Dushanbe. Fakhriddinov was of Garmi descent. Sharofuddin Kosimov, Navidi Vakhsh, June or July 1993, Place of death unknown Kosimov, a reporter for Navidi Vakhsh, was abducted in June or July 1993 by members of the People's Front according to local journalists. His body was discovered in July and was subsequently identified by family members. He was of Garmi descent. Sharif Ahrorov, Local newspaper in Kuibishev District, Khatlon Province, June or July 1993, Place of death unknown Ahrorov, editor of a local newspaper in Kuibishev District, Khatlon Province, may have been killed by one of several small paramilitary groups loosely affiliated with the People's Front, according to Tajik sources in Russia. He was a Garmi. Zikrullo Valievm, Khalqi Ovozi, Summer 1993, Place of death unknown Valiev, a reporter with the state-owned, Uzbek-language Khalqi Ovozi, was killed in the summer of 1993. An armed band loyal to the Tajik government may have killed him. Valiev was a member of Tajikistan's Uzbek minority. Tokhirjon Azimov, Maktabi Sovieti, July 1, 1993 Azimov, a reporter at the state-owned, Tajik-language magazine Maktabi Sovieti, disappeared in June or July 1993. Tajik opposition sources in Russia and the United States say he was killed by one of several small paramilitary groups loosely affiliated with the People's Front. Emma Podobed, Narodnaya Gazeta, missing since September 1993, Dushanbe Podobed, a reporter with the Narodnaya Gazeta in Dushanbe, disappeared in September 1993. The circumstances of his disappearance are unknown. Kishvaroy Sharifova, Navidi Vakhsh, October 1, 1993 Sharifova, a reporter for Navidi Vakhsh, disappeared in the fall of 1993. The circumstances of her disappearance are unknown. It is believed that members of the People's Front have killed other staff journalists at Navidi Vakhsh. |
