Journalist and candidate Susy Aponte shot dead in Caraz, Áncash
Susy Aponte, journalist and candidate for the governorship of Áncash, was shot at a market in Caraz on 20 September. A Venezuelan citizen was arrested following the attack.
Candidate for Áncash governorship killed by gunshot during electoral campaign tour in Caraz
Susy Aponte, a 44-year-old journalist and candidate for the governorship of the Áncash department, was shot dead on Sunday, 20 September 2026 at a market in the Caraz district in Peru, according to lapatria.bo. The attack occurred while she was conducting a campaign tour and left five people wounded by gunshot, who were taken to the regional hospital. Police arrested a Venezuelan citizen at the scene.
Aponte was running in the regional elections scheduled for 4 October and managed the news portal "China Polo Dominical", through which she disseminated reports on alleged irregularities and police corruption. Days before the attack, the candidate had posted on her social media that she was receiving threats from various penitentiary facilities, according to information provided by Unitel.
The murder generated immediate condemnation from the country's main electoral and professional organisations. The National Electoral Jury condemned the crime and "demanded that the competent authorities clarify the case with the greatest urgency", highlighting in a statement that "violence has no place in a democratic society".
For its part, the Peruvian Press Council requested an exhaustive investigation to determine the motives for the attack. "It is necessary that the motives for the homicide be clarified. Other murder cases have not been clarified," the organisation stated on its social media.
The case is part of a context of growing violence against the press in the country: four Peruvian journalists were murdered in 2025, according to police records.
Source: Google News PE — Crime