| Evany José Metzker | |
| Death Date: | May 13 or 14, 2015 (aged 67) |
| Death Cause: | Decapitation |
| Body Discovered: | Padre Paraíso, Brazil |
| Nationality: | Brazilian |
| Occupation: | Journalist |
| Spouse: | Ilma Chaves Silva Borges |
Evany José Metzker was a Brazilian blogger and journalist who in 2015 was found decapitated.[1] [2] [3] [4]
Metzker had been working on a series of stories in the Jequitinhonha Valley, one of Brazil's poorest regions, when he was killed. After his body was found, investigators determined that he had been tortured, scalped, and then beheaded. Records show that Metzker had been investigating political corruption, child prostitution, and drug dealing. On his blog, he often reported on corrupt officials and politicians. He was missing for five days before police found his body. His family said the police had received an anonymous tip as to where they could find his remains which were subsequently found near Padre Paraíso in Minas Gerais.
At least fourteen journalists have been killed since 2011 in retaliation for their work. Brazil is the third most dangerous country for journalists in Latin America after Mexico and Colombia.[5] Other journalists were killed around the same time as Metzker.[6]
UNESCO[7] and Reporters Without Borders, an international NGO, released official statements in response to the murder,[8] as did the Minas Gerais Journalists Union, a regional organization.[9]