Chilean Journalist Dies After May 1 Protest Shooting
HAVANA TIMES – In response to news reports that Chilean journalist Francisca Sandoval died from injuries she sustained in a shooting while covering a protest on May 1, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condolence and condemnation:
“We are saddened by the news of the death today of Chilean journalist Francisca Sandoval, who was shot while covering a demonstration on May 1, and express our condolences to her family and colleagues,” said Natalie Southwick, CPJ’s Latin America and the Caribbean program coordinator, in New York. “Chilean authorities must ensure that those responsible for this killing are brought to justice, and that media workers are allowed to work without risking their lives.”
On May 1, gunmen opened fire during a Workers’ Day demonstration in the Barrio Meiggs area of Santiago, the capital, as well as during looting that followed the demonstration, injuring at least three members of the press, including Sandoval, as CPJ documented at the time
Sandoval, 29, who was covering the demonstration for the local broadcaster Canal Señal 3 La Victoria, was shot in the face and remained in critical condition at the Posta Central hospital in Santiago until her death on Thursday, May 12, according to those reports, which said that her suspected shooter is in police custody.