Committee to Protect Journalists

Wife of Argentina reporter who denounced drug trafficking is raped

Argentine radio journalist Sergio Hurtado, who reported on drug trafficking. According to Hurtado and local news reports, two men armed with knives and one handgun stormed into Hurtado’s house around 4:30 a.m. and demanded money. They ordered Hurtado to hand over 27,000 pesos (US$2,520), although it was not clear why they believed he had this sum at home, FM Luna said.Then the two men each raped Cristina Hurtado, according to news reports confirmed by Sergio Hurtado to CPJ. 

The reporter’s wife told the daily La Nación that the couple’s two children were asleep in a nearby bedroom when the assailants entered the house. The oldest son, who is 15, woke up to screams and saw his parents being threatened with weapons, La Nación said. He returned to his bedroom and pretended to be asleep. 

Before fleeing, the men stole money, cell phones, and other electronics, reports said. Hurtado said that the assailants issued him a warning: “Stop talking about drugs on the radio. We had orders to kill you.” Hurtado’s wife also said that the intruders claimed that they were hitmen and that her husband must stop talking about drug trafficking, La Nación reported. 

reportagebygettyimages:

reportagebygettyimages:

‘I was living with the Boss Man. I don’t love that man, but because of the war, I could not deny him. He would kill me. I would die. So I would not refuse.

I gave birth in the bush to a daughter named Mamiaye. And when the war ended, we came out to the town. He left me here. He never came again. Nobody said I want to take care of this woman with this child. You are a woman of a rebel. You killed people during the war. And now you come for forgiveness? Not here.’ - Janet, who was abducted by rebels at age 20 and forced to fight in Sierra Leone’s 11 year civil war.

At this week’s Global Summit to end Sexual Violence in Conflict, UN special envoy Angelina Jolie opened the event by saying that one of the goals was to end the disgrace that comes with being a victim.

Girl Soldier, a film by Reportage photographer Jonathan Torgovnik, which chronicles the stories of Sierra Leone’s female child soldiers, is being screened at the summit. Watch the film here.

UPDATE: Read interviews with Jonathan about the project on National Geographic Proof and Canon Professional Network.