The editor of the newspaper Correio de Notícias, Afonso Locks, was followed and beaten last week in the city of Cerejeiras (in the state of Rondonia ), by persons linked to ex-Mayor José Eugênio Zigue de Souza, reported Folha de Rondônia, where the journalist also is a correspondent.

On July 30, Locks was followed by two vehicles and then beaten in front of a radio station, the article said. According to the site Rondonotícias, among the aggressors was the son of the former mayor. Locks had criticized the politician in his column in the newspaper Correio de Notícias.

The Journalists Union of Rondonia condemned the attack and said it would support any judicial measures taken against the attackers.

Source:The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas