User:Shenderson8/Mafaldo Bezerra Goes

Mafaldo Bezerra Goes, also spelled Mafaldo Bezerra Gois, (ca. 1952 – February 22, 2013), a Brazilian radio host for FM Rio Jaguaribe, in Jaguaribe, Ceará, Brazil, was murdered in 2013.

Early life
Mafaldo Bezerra Goes was 61 years old at the time of his murder.

Career
Bezerra had a crime beat program on Radio FM Jaguaribe River that regularly aired from between 11 a.m. to noon. On his show, he was known to name criminals, hit men, drug traffickers from the area. Bezerra was the second broadcaster in the state to be murdered in ten years. Nicanor Linhares Batista, a radio host from Limoeiro do Norte, Ceará, was killed 300 June 2003.

Death
Mafaldo Bezerra Goes was gunned down at 8:30 a.m. on 22 February 2013 on his way to work. The murderers were identified as two gunmen on a motorcycle. The radio host was shot five times and died from wounds to his head and chest. The two gunman, identified as Gleidson José da Silva, and Matheus Pereira de Aquino, were ordered by a drug dealer imprisoned in the city of Fortaleza. The incarcerated mastermind behind the shooting was Dyones Soares Nunes.

Bezerra had received death threats for his work on radio. On his show, he would name suspected criminals and drug traffickers. Family members of Bezerra had informed police of his death threats. However, Bezerra did not file a formal complaint so threats were never investigated.

Context

 * LA Times
 * Freedom House
 * Reuters Trust

Impact
Malfaldo Bezerra was the second murder victim broadcaster in ten years around the Vale Jaguaribe region.

Reactions
"He died because of his profession. He made a lot of people angry." - Police Chief Vera Lúcia Passos Granja

"We (Committee to Protect Journalists) condemn the murder of Malfaldo Bezerra Goes and call on authorities to conduct a swift investigation, arrest suspects, and bring them to justice. As a wave of lethal violence spreads through Brazil, the administration of President Dilma Rousseff must take decisive action to ensure that all journalist can work without fear of intimidation." -Carlos Lauría, CPJ's Senior program coordinator for the Americas

Claudio Paolillo, committee chairman of the Inter American Press Association, said, "a prompt and in-depth investigation to learn the motives, identify the murderers and bring them to justice is the best way to honor the memory of those no longer with us and to challenge the culture of violence that believes itself to be unpunishable."

Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, said, "It is important that this case be investigated thoroughly and its culprits be brought to justice. Impunity must not be tolerated as it reinforces the vulnerability of media workers and seriously undermines press freedom."