On December 3, the International Federation of Journalists’ Safety Fund, through the National Journalists Union of Nicaragua (SNPN), gave a donation to the son of late Nicaraguan journalist María José Bravo, who was killed on November 7th, while covering elections at a polling center in Jigalpa, Chontales.

The one thousand-dollar donation was delivered by the General Secretary of the Nicaraguan Union, Leyla Martinez, who acknowledged the support and solidarity of the IFJ in remembrance of María, a reporter for the Managuan journal La Prensa. She stated that the Nicaraguan union would continue to demand justice in this tragic case.

Gregorio Salazar, Regional Coordinator of the IFJ for Latin America, affirmed the solidarity of the regional office with the Nicaraguan journalists and pointed out the serious safety concerns which Latin American journalists face – conditions that have seen at least 22 of their colleagues die during the course of the year. The tragic death of María Jose Bravo occured only weeks before another reporter, Gregorio Rodriguez was shot dead in Sinaloa State, Mexico.

"More attention must be given to stemming the culture of impunity which surrounds these cases and which comes as a result of the absence of a real democratic culture, a climate of intolerance and the endemic weakness of regional institutions to investigate and punish acts of corruption," said Salazar.

He affirmed that the unions have a great responsibility and role to play in defending the safety and working conditions of all journalists, as well as in the battle against impunity and the creation of a culture of tolerance.

The relatives of the murdered colleague, on receiving the support of the IFJ and the SNPN, said that the donation would be used to alleviate the health problems of the journalist’s son, Nestor José, and her mother, María Jose Bravo.

For more information please contact: +32 2 235 22 07
The IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in more than 110 countries