President Gabriel Boric led this Friday the 31st World Press Freedom Day Conference at the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center. During his speech, he was interrupted by two assistants, members of the National Association of Community and Citizen Radio Stations of Chile (Anarcich)who demanded justice for the journalist Francisca Sandoval, who died in a Labor Day march in 2022.
Her colleagues displayed a canvas with the name of the La Victoria Signal 3 reporter and questioned the State’s proceedings in the case: “In a march in the heart of Santiago, where nine people shot (…) Carabineros de Chile did not act, the Ministry of the Interior, which is part of the complaint, has not requested any diligence or investigation. to find justice for our murdered fellow journalist. And they are talking to us about freedom of expression and freedom of the press. It’s a joke, Mr. President.”said Benjamín Lillo, director of the channel.
The president, with a firm tone, replied: “It’s not a joke, sir. “Here we come to defend freedom of the press and in fact here we have the name of Francisca Sandoval, reporter and communicator for Signal 3 de la Victoria, who died after receiving bullets.”said at the same time that they pointed out the responsibility of Carabineros in the incident.
“I ask you please to allow us to continue with this because Francisca Sandoval is precisely a great example of what we have to defend. Francisca Sandoval was murdered on May 1 (…) I have been with her family, I have been with her family permanently,” he responded more excitedly.
A “tell the truth” refuted him and Boric immediately added: “Francisca Sandoval was murdered on May 1 in a demonstration, not by police, not by police. She was not murdered by police, but she was murdered in a brutal way and she deserves justice.”
Finally, in the face of continuous interruptions and shouts, the president, apparently resigned, declared: “Well, this is part of freedom of expression. Welcome”he said as the canvas was unfolded again to the sound of chants that proclaimed: “Comrade Francisca Sandoval present, now and always!”
Who was Francisca Sandoval?
The young woman, born on August 22, 1991, worked as a reporter for the independent media Signal 3 in the Pedro Aguirre Cerda commune and had a young daughter. Her case would be the first homicide of a practicing journalist since the return to democracy.
During a march on May 1, 2022, she was in a live office when she was shot in the face, after which she was transferred to the Central Post Office, where she died after twelve days due to the severity of the wound.
Justice has as the main suspect in his death Marcelo Naranjo, alias “El Pestaña”, a traveling merchant from Barrio Meiggs, who has a police record and for him they are asking for up to 25 years in prison.