Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Michel Temer, President of Brazil has expressed concern over the attack on Brazilian reporter Adenilson Miguel on August 9.
PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter condemns this incident and urged authorities to immediately take action against those responsible and ensure the safety of Miguel and other journalists.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), unidentified assailants attacked Miguel’s home in Bandeira do Sul, a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. Miguel on August 16 informed CPJ by phone that attackers threw firecrackers at his house and left a note saying, “You are going to die.” This incident happened hours after he shared details on WhatsApp about alleged corruption in the mayor’s office.
The reporter believes that attack was meant to stop him from publishing a story in Vox about corruption. Vox is an independent newspaper founded by Miguel four years ago. It is published twice a month and is distributed in seven towns and cities in the south of Minas Gerais.
Miguel told CPJ that he planned to publish a story about staff in the mayor’s office being paid for overtime without doing any extra work. On August 8, prior to the attack he also shared pay slips showing the discrepancy on his WhatsApp group.
The reporter further added that this was not the first time that he had received a threat. In May, a friend warned him that the same mayor was angry at him for his political coverage
The mayor’s assistant stated that the incident was a matter for police and denied to comment more. A police official also informed CPJ that the police was investigating this attack but declined to discuss the case further.
Miguel said that a week after the incident, police have yet to take any action.