Brazilian journalist is attacked in Rondônia state

The editor of the newspaper Correio de Notícias from the state of Rondônia, North of Brazil,  Afonso Locks, was chased and attacked in front of the radio Cidade FM, in Cerejeiras, 730 km southeast from the capital Porto Velho. Among those allegedly involved were the son and the daughter of former mayor José Eugênio Zigue de Souza, Jacó Eugênio de Souza and Laudicéia de Souza, a city councilwoman. 

According to Afonso Locks, the attack was motivated by an article published on his column that criticized the support of José Eugênio de Souza to the Jean Carlos Schefer Oliveira’s candidacy for state representative.

Jean de Oliveira is son of Carlão de Oliveira, former president of the State Legislature investigated and arrested during Dominó Operation of the Federal Police in 2006 for involvement in misappropriation of public resources and fraudulent contracts. He would replace his father as a deputy.

On the night of the attack, Locks says he was followed by two cars up to the radio Cidade FM, where he had stopped to leave an issue of the newspaper. At this point, according to the journalist, Jacó de Souza left one of his vehicles and called him to talk. “He asked me to stop publishing things against his candidate and about his family”, Locks says. The journalist also said that he informed the former mayor’s son that he could go to court if the published material in the newspaper was not true. After that, according to Locks, Jacó de Souza threatened his children and attacked him.

Police has started an investigation against Jacó de Souza and his sister Laudicéia for physical aggression, intimidation, crime against freedom of expression and threat, but the officials do not know when people involved will be heard.