A Chilean journalist who was shot in the head by a street vendor while covering Workers’ Day marches on May 1 has died from her injuries.
Francisca Sandoval, 29, was reporting in Barrio Meigs, a ruined market district in the center of the capital Santiago, when a group of men opened fire after a clash with protesters.
A bullet pierced Sandoval’s visor, leaving her to fight for her life in hospital. Two other journalists were injured in the shooting.
“Francisco did not leave us, they killed her,” tweeted Señal 3 La Victoria, the independent media outlet Sandoval reported. “With these words we confirm the death of our dear Fran. We will miss you and we will do our best to find out the truth. ”
Two days after the shooting, Marcelo Naranjo, 41, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, illegal carrying of a firearm and unjustified firing of a firearm in public. Following Sandoval’s death, the Chilean prosecutor confirmed that the charges would be reconsidered.
A Colombian and a Venezuelan citizen were also detained under house arrest in connection with the incident.
Sandoval is the first journalist killed in the line of duty in Chile since Pinochet’s dictatorship.
The latter, Jose Carasco, was abducted 36 years ago in 1986, days after a failed assassination attempt on the dictator.
His body was found three hours later, strewn with bullets – and so disfigured that even his wife was unable to identify him properly.
In the World Press Freedom Index for 2022, published earlier this month by Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), Chile fell to 82nd place – although it is still the fifth highest ranked in South America.
The report highlights the huge concentration of media ownership in Chile, a long-standing problem in a country where two main groups dominate traditional media.
“Chile is going through a difficult period in terms of violence, and especially violence against the media,” said Carolina Munoz, director of the Faculty of Journalism at the University of Chile.
“This was evident during the protests in 2019, when we saw journalists being persecuted while doing their job, and we also saw groups formed against journalists.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric, 36, who visited Sandoval’s family at the hospital earlier in the week, mourned her death and vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice.
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