A Brazilian blogger seriously injured in a possibly politically motivated attack continues to recover in a Rio de Janeiro hospital.
Ricardo Gama after was shot as he was walking in the Copacabana area on March 23rd. The blogger, who was best known for his posts critical of government and police corruption, left the intensive care unit but was still convalescing in hospital. His condition has slowly improved after two surgeries and using a machine to help him breathe during several days.
In remarks to the local press on Thursday, Gama said that he was targeted in “an attack against freedom of expression.” He vowed that he “will not stop” working on his blog and he also thanked the growing support he has received from supporters such as followers on Twitter.
The incident against Gama has caught the attention of several international journalism NGOs. "Reporters in Brazil must be able to report on official corruption without fear of physical retribution" said Carlos Lauría, Committee to Protect Journalists’ senior program coordinator for the Americas. Reporters Without Borders warned of the increased risk to media covering “often controversial attempts to restore law and order in the favelas before the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.”
Rio police have reportedly identified the type of car used by the shooter and a local prosecutor allegedly claimed that this would make it easier to identify the unknown gunman. In the meantime, the below video report from R7 news shows that at least two policemen are guarding Gama’s room as he undergoes his slow recuperation:
Video Source – noticiasR7.com
Online Sources- Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, Folha.com, Jornal do Brasil, Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas
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