Abraji team visits Edealina to investigate the murder of a journalist

The coordinator of Tim Lopes Program, Angelina Nunes, and member of the Abraji team Rafael Oliveira were in the city of Edealina and region, in the state of Goias, between Jan 28 and 31, 2018. The trip aimed at starting the investigation into the murder of journalist Jefferson Pureza. The radio host was killed with three shots on the night of January 17, 2018.

The team traveled about 500km and talked to local authorities and other sources related to the case. It also had access to documents linked to the case that are under analysis. There are indications that Pureza's murder is connected to his journalistic work, but Abraji is still in the first phase of investigating the case before concluding. If the evidence is confirmed, a team of reporters from different media will travel to Edealina for in-depth reports on the crime and on the topics that Pureza covered, as provided by the Tim Lopes Program.

Pureza worked on Beira Rio FM radio, presenting the show “A Voz do Povo”. In January 2017, he announced on the air that he was being threatened. The radio station had been the target of attacks more than once. In the most recent, in November 2017, it was burnt to ashes. The broadcaster had plans to return to work, but then Pureza was murdered.

The Tim Lopes Program is funded by the Open Society Foundations, and aims to exhaust the investigation of cases of homicide, kidnapping, or attempted murder and kidnapping against communication professionals.