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august 26, 2008
H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President of Brazil
Planalto Palace
Brasília, Brazil
Mr. President,
For three years now the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has been investigating the murder of journalists in the Americas and has come to the conclusion that in some cases not even has the right to justice been observed and in others negligence, apathy and irregularities in the official investigations have been obstacles helping those guilty of the crimes to continue to go unpunished.
Determined to put an end to such impunity and in unison with the international community we take the liberty of calling your attention to the case of journalist Nivanildo Barbosa Lima, who body turned up floating in a reservoir in Paulo Afonso, Bahia state, on July 22, 1995.
In the newspaper Ponto de Encontro he used to expose extermination gangs. The case file was closed and reopened in 2002, but it could be shelved again due to lack of any progress in the investigation.
We call upon your good offices, Mr. President, to ensure that action in this case not halt until all those responsible for this crime are brought to justice and duly punished. Only in that way will the death of Nivanildo Barbosa Lima not become just another statistic in the list of unsolved murders in the Americas, in particular in Brazil.
Sincerely,
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