Carlos Humberto Jimenez Licona, Ambassador to Canada
Embassy of Guatemala
130 Albert Street, Suite 1010
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
Fax: (613) 233-0135

May 7, 2007

Excellency,

I am writing on behalf of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect press freedom and freedom of expression around the world, to condemn the killing of journalist Mario Rolando López Sánchez.

López Sánchez was shot four times and killed on Thursday, May 3 in Guatemala City, outside his home. He was the producer of a political debate program "Cosas y Casos de la Vida Nacional" and various social programs on national privately-owned Radio Sonora.

On a day when countries around the world expressed their commitment to press freedom, the killing of López Sánchez is a stark reminder of the dangers that face journalists in Guatemala.

According to the Asociación de Periodistas de Guatemala (APG), 2006 saw 89 reported violations of press freedom, compared to 34 instances in the previous year.

As the theme of this year's World Press Freedom Day was impunity, CJFE calls on your government to fulfill its responsibility in ensuring that justice is upheld and that the police ensure that a thorough investigation is immediately carried out.

I eagerly await your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Arnold Amber