Guatemala journalist dies after shooting

A Guatemalan journalist who was shot by unknown assailants last week has died of his injuries, a press organization said on Tuesday. Bryan Guerra, who was 25, was attacked on February 27 in the city of Chiquimula, 100 kilometers to the east of the capital Guatemala City.

His death was announced by the Sala de Redaccion press collective. After the shooting, Guatemala's journalists' association APG criticized the attorney general and police for not heeding his complaints about receiving death threats.

APG demanded action from authorities. Guatemala, one of the world's most violent countries, recorded 4,645 murders in 2019 in a population of 17 million.

Almost half of those were linked to gangs and drug cartels, according to official statistics. Many remote parts of the country are lawless, leaving citizens vulnerable to attacks by gangs and drug traffickers.

According to the official human rights body, 17 journalists were murdered in Guatemala between 2015 and 2018. 

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