Mr. President,

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has investigated the murders of journalists in the Americas in which there has always been a delay in justice being done, in addition to irregularities. In the majority of cases the police and judicial inquiries have inexplicably come to a standstill, which has prevented those guilty of the crimes being brought to justice.

The IAPA, determined to put an end to this impunity, a task in which it has the full support of the international community, takes the liberty of calling your attention to the death of Reinaldo Coutinho da Silva, editor of the newspaper Cachoeiras Jornal in São Gonzalo, Río de Janeiro, which occurred on August 29, 1995.

Now more than 13 years later the crime continues to go unpunished, despite the case having been declared by the police to be a priority. Internal differences in the Public Prosecutor’s Office which is investigating the crime have prevented the proceedings from moving ahead. No suspect has been arrested.

We request, Mr. President, your good offices for the process not to halt until all those responsible for this crime are duly punished. Only in this way will the death of Coutinho da Silva not become merely another statistic in the list of unsolved murders in the Americas, in particular in Brazil.

Sincerely,

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