UNESCO condemned killing of documentary film-maker Christian Poveda in El Salvador

“I condemn the killing of Christian Poveda,” the Director-General declared. “Cristian Poveda was a committed chronicler of our times and it is a tragedy that he was made to pay for his professional commitment with his life. I trust that the investigations already launched into this crime will bear fruit and that those who prevented Christian Poveda from exercising his basic human right of freedom of speech and the right of us all to be informed will be brought to trial.”

Christian Poveda, 52, a citizen of France and Spain, was shot dead in Tonacatepeque, about 10 miles (15 kilometers) from the capital, San Salvador. According to the Salvadoran press, Tonacatepeque is a fiefdom of a street gang, Mara 18, about which Christian Poveda had just finished making a film, La Vida Loca.

During repeated visits over 30 years, the photojournalist and film-maker documented violence in El Salvador. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), journalists covering gang violence in El Salvador and elsewhere in Latin America have become targets and, it says, security concerns prevent in-depth reporting on the origins and causes of gang violence. (EOM)