Journalist and candidate Susy Aponte "China Polo" shot dead in Áncash market
Susy Aponte Polo, known as "la China Polo", was shot in the head during a campaign event in Áncash. A Venezuelan hitman was detained; the intellectual author is still being investigated.
Regional journalist and candidate dies from gunshot to head during election campaign
Susy Ysabel Aponte Polo, aged 43, known in Peruvian media as "la China Polo", was murdered on Saturday 19 September while campaigning in a market in Áncash, north of Lima. According to elpais.com, the broadcaster was giving an interview to a local media outlet when a man approached from behind and shot her in the head. The camera following her recorded the moment of the attack.
Aponte Polo was running for regional governor of Áncash, an area of considerable mining wealth, and hosted a weekly programme on social networks dedicated to reporting on corruption in the central Government, the police and administrations on the northern coast. She had four children and was wearing a bullet-proof vest on the day of her death, but the projectile struck her head.
The attacker wounded and captured after exchange of gunfire
Following the shot, the victim's husband attempted to stem the bleeding with his shirt whilst the attacker fled amongst the market stalls. Security personnel pursued him and an exchange of gunfire ensued. The alleged perpetrator, Luis Obispo Díaz, a Venezuelan national, was wounded in the left shoulder, right forearm and jaw, but managed to board a motorcycle taxi by threatening the driver. An off-duty police officer alerted the Caraz police station; officers caught up with and overpowered him shortly afterwards.
A hitman organisation coordinated from Lima
The investigation points to the crime being carefully planned from Lima. At least five Venezuelan citizens are said to have participated in the operation, according to the ongoing investigation. Ronald Toro Ardila is believed to have handled all the logistics. Obispo arrived in Áncash days before to follow the victim and, given the complexity of the task, Toro is said to have sent him reinforcements: Edinson Corzo, Valeria Torres and a third individual whose identity remains unknown. The three were recorded on cameras at a hotel located three blocks from the crime scene, according to the programme Beto a Saber. So far only Obispo and Toro have been detained.
Prior threats and protection withdrawn on day of murder
Nine days before her death, China Polo publicly denounced that she had received calls from three prison facilities warning her that a senior police official wanted to kill her. She directly named General Víctor Revoredo Farfán, then head of the Criminal Investigation Division, whom she had questioned over alleged links with criminal organisations. She requested protection from the State and, during her campaign, had police protection. On the day of the murder, however, she was guarded only by her personal security.
The day after the crime, General Revoredo was removed from his position. Coincidentally, the Interior Ministry ordered changes in the posts of over twenty senior officers; Revoredo was reassigned to the International Affairs Directorate of the National Police.
Investigation changes from femicide to contract killing
The Prosecutor's Office initially opened proceedings for femicide, but under pressure from the independent press modified the classification to contract killing. The central question—who paid for the crime and why—remains unanswered. In parallel, the National System of Deaths recorded Aponte Polo's type of death as "unknown", a classification which, according to elpais.com, shows that the actual homicide figures in Peru could be higher than official figures. The murder occurs in a context in which the country has preliminarily accumulated 302 homicides since the start of Keiko Fujimori's government on 28 July.
From investigative journalist to regional candidate
China Polo was born in Chimbote, a port city on the northern coast, but lived in Lima, where she set up a broadcast studio. Her reports targeted corruption in the central Government and in police forces and administrations in the north of the country. Over time, her political ambition grew: she first attempted to stand for Congress and then agreed to compete for the regional governorship of Áncash. From July she devoted herself entirely to the campaign.
The broadcaster's team had perceived the danger in recent months. Threats came from various quarters and, according to several journalists consulted by elpais.com, some collaborators avoided signing the most compromising reports.
A controversial profile that does not close the debate over her death
Aponte Polo's judicial record adds complexity to the case. She faced an accusation of leading an alleged network to obtain driving licences fraudulently, with a request for 12 years in prison, among other proceedings. "She always told us it was persecution", said Micaela Mallma, a former reporter on the programme. Mallma rejects doubts about her former boss's transparency: "She did not defame, she had information. How can they say she was extorting or blackmailing if she was not tied to anyone?"
On social media, part of the debate revolved around whether Aponte Polo could be considered a journalist given that she had no university training in the field. Zuliana Lainez, president of the International Federation of Journalists, described that discussion as absurd and focused on how she exercised the profession. "If as a candidate you maintain an informative space to strike at your political rivals, are you doing journalism or rather are you using it as a political tool?", Lainez asked, adding: "Many judges and prosecutors were afraid of ruling against her. Her profile was questionable. That does not detract from the fact that the crime must be condemned and a thorough investigation demanded".
The murder, recorded on video, is part of a context of growing hostility towards the Peruvian press, with dozens of journalists threatened and attacked in recent years in various regions of the country.
Source: Google News PE — Crime