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november 20, 2008
H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President of Brazil
Planalto Palace
Brasilia
Brazil
Mr. President:
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has been investigating the murder of journalists in the Americas, coming to the conclusion in the majority of the cases that justice has not been done due to negligence, apathy and irregularities. In many of these cases the police inquiries and legal proceedings have inexplicably stalled and in fact become obstacles to the process aimed at identifying the guilty and bringing them to justice.
The IAPA, determined to put an end to such impunity, a task in which it has the wide support of the international community, takes the liberty of calling your attention to the case of the host of a program broadcast by TV Ouro Verde, Mr. José Carlos Mesquita, murdered on March 10, 1998 in Ouro Preto do Oeste, Rondônia, Brazil.
He had exposed drug trafficking and misuse of funds destined for the health sector. A number of irregularities in the investigation into his murder have contributed to the crime continuing to go unpunished. A suspect has been arrested but the mastermind remains free.
We call, Mt. President, upon your good offices to ensure that the process does not end until all those responsible for this crime are punished. Only in that way will the death of José Carlos Mesquita not become just another statistic in the list of unsolved murders in the Americas.
Sincerely,
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