The International Federation of Journalists
(IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
(NUJP) in welcoming the
arrest of Niel
Guimeroy, a suspect
in the 2011 murder of broadcaster Niel “Lito” Jimena in Negros Occidental
province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.
According to reports,
police arrested Niel Guimeroy at around 6 a.m. in Isabela town, Bacolod City, southern Philippines. Guimeroy and Joel
Calungsod - a former militiaman who remains at large - have reportedly been
charged with murder.
was shot five times by unknown assailants on August 23, 2011. At the time
of his murder, Neil Jimena was co-host of the Radio Mindanao Network-Iloilo
dyRI, program Husgador.
Police believed Jimena’s
killing was related to his work as a broadcaster, as a former informant of the
Drug Enforcement Agency and the police intelligence unit in Iloilo.
The IFJ Asia Pacific
welcomes the news, but calls for the Philippine authorities to ensure a transparent
and timely investigation as a demonstrated commitment to justice, at a time when
the trials of murdered journalists are marred by a series of
seemingly unnecessary delays.
For further
information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0950
The IFJ
represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
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