RSF - Reporters sans frontières
RSF - Reporters sans frontières
05/07/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/07/2025 15:14
Peru: RSF condemns the murder of Journalist Raúl Celis López and calls for urgent measures to protect journalism in the Amazon
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns the murder of Raúl Celis López, a local journalist in Iquitos, a city in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. Known for his outspoken views on insecurity, corruption and crime in the region, he was shot dead on 7 May 2025 while on his way to record his radio programme for Karibeña Radio. RSF calls for an independent investigation to identify those responsible for this crime and urges the Peruvian authorities to establish effective protection mechanisms to ensure the safety of journalists, particularly those covering environmental issues and criminal activity in the country's most vulnerable regions.
Raúl Celis López, aged 70, had worked as a journalist in the Peruvian Amazon for over three decades. His voice was once familiar to listeners of Radio Tarapotobefore he joined Karibeña Radio, where he hosted a popular morning current affairs show. He often reported on the impact of organised crime on local communities and police corruption. On the day of his murder, two unidentified men on a motorbike shot him in the head while he was travelling in a mototaxi, according to witnesses. None of his personal belongings were taken, a strong indication that this was a targeted execution. An investigation has been opened, but so far no suspects have been arrested. The killing took place in Iquitos, a city in the Loreto region, deep in the Amazon rainforest, where illegal activities such as drug trafficking, unregulated mining and deforestation are rampant - all subjects that Raúl Celis López covered in his reporting.
"RSF strongly condemns the assassination of Raúl Celis López - the second journalist killed in Peru since the start of the year. This is a tragic wake-up call: journalists reporting on the social, political and environmental realities of the Amazon are being left without protection. Yet their work is essential for documenting human rights abuses and environmental destruction in areas often neglected by the state. RSF calls for a prompt, independent and transparent investigation, and the implementation of public policies to protect journalists. It is urgent that Peru ensures their safety and freedom to report. Protecting journalism means defending the right of citizens - both local and international - to be informed about what is happening in one of the planet's most fragile ecosystems.
Artur Romeu
Director, RSF Latin America
Raúl Celis López is the second journalist to be murdered in Peru in 2025. Gastón Medina Sotomayor, journalist and owner of Cadena Sur TV, was killedin March, also gunned down by a hitman on his way to work. These crimes highlight a growing structural violence against local media, fuelled by impunity, institutional weakness and the absence of effective protection mechanisms.
RSF advocates for a comprehensive strengthening of journalist protection mechanismsacross Latin America, where over 300 journalists have been killed since 2000. The NGO has long warned of the specific dangers facing journalists working in the Amazon and published a report on the issue, titled "Scorched lands of journalism in the Amazon."
Published on07.05.2025
RSF - Reporters sans frontières published this content on May 07, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 07, 2025 at 21:14 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at support@pubt.io