Manoel Leal de Oliveira

A Regiao

January 14, 1998, in Itabuna, Brazil

Leal, publisher and editor of A Regiao, the largest weekly in southern Bahia State, was shot dead by assailants who had followed him as he was driving home. Leal was known for his critical reporting on local authorities, and he frequently denounced the mayor of Itabuna and a civil police marshal in the Bahia capital, Salvador, for corruption. Although two witnesses identified one of the assailants, police never questioned him, and the investigation has been closed. CPJ urged President Fernando Henrique Cardoso to launch an investigation by federal police, since local journalists fear that local authorities may have targeted Leal.

Medium: Print

Job: Editor

Beats Covered: Corruption

Gender: Male

Local or Foreign: Local

Freelance: No

Type of Death: Murder

Suspected Source of Fire: Government Officials

Impunity: Yes

Taken Captive: No

Tortured: No

Threatened: No