Ricardo Uceda
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Uceda Perez is a Peru
vian journalist notable for his award-winning coverage of military and government corruption.
, Peru in 1954. He studied journalism at the Jaime Bausate y Mesa Institute of Journalism in Lima
and economics and journalism at the National University of San Marcos
. He worked for the magazine El Mundo
in 1974, then served short stints with the daily newspapers Expreso, El Diario, and El Nacional. In 1987 he worked as an investigative reporter at the television station Canal 2 before becoming deputy director of the magazine Sí
the following year.
of his investigations, leading to numerous government cases against him. He was also accused by government spokespeople of being connected with the Shining Path
, though these charges were never substantiated. In 1992, Sí ran a story implicating senior military officials in the Barrios Altos massacre
, an incident in which the anti-communist death squad Grupo Colina
killed fifteen partygoers, including an eight-year-old child, after mistaking them for Shining Path members. Following the story, Uceda was the subject of a police investigation for "falsifying information", a charge of which he was later cleared. An Americas Watch (an arm of Human Rights Watch
) spokesperson condemned the investigation as being part of a general pattern of repression against journalists by the government of Alberto Fujimori
.
In one high-profile case in 1993, members of a dissatisfied army faction directed Uceda to a mass grave
containing the corpses of nine students and one professor kidnapped from La Cantuta University. Ten army
officers and soldiers were eventually charged with the crime, which became known as the La Cantuta Massacre
. When angry officials accused Uceda of obstructing justice
in response to his reporting—a crime punishable by a prison term—the Peruvian Congress held a vote to guarantee his safety. Complicity in this massacre became one of the charges for which then-president Alberto Fujimori
was subsequently tried and found guilty by a panel of three Peruvian judges.
In 1994, Uceda resigned as editor-in-chief of Sí to form a special investigative team at El Comercio, then Peru's most popular daily newspaper. As with Uceda's Sí reporting, the Comercio team focused on cases of governmental corruption. One of the team's most notable successes came in 1998, when they exposed the misuse of state funds intended for the survivors of El Niño-created floods and mudslides; the story resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of Civil Defense Chief General Homero Nureña.
In 2004, he published the book Muerte en el Pentagonito: Los cementerios secretos del Ejército Peruano, which explored individual cases in the long conflict between the Shining Path and the Peruvian Army.
of the Committee to Protect Journalists
in recognition of his reporting on both the La Cantuta and Barrios Altos massacres.
In 2000, the International Press Institute
selected him as one of 50 "press heroes" of media freedom of the past half-century. His book Muerte en el Pentagonito: Los cementerios secretos del Ejército Peruano was shortlisted for the Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage in 2005, losing to Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier by UK author Alexandra Fuller
. In the same year, he won the Maria Moors Cabot prize
of Columbia University
, the oldest international award in the field of journalism.
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian journalist notable for his award-winning coverage of military and government corruption.
Background
Uceda was born in ChiclayoChiclayo
Chiclayo is the capital city of the Lambayeque region in northern Peru. It is located 13 kilometers inland from the Pacific coast and 770 kilometers from the nation's capital, Lima...
, Peru in 1954. He studied journalism at the Jaime Bausate y Mesa Institute of Journalism in Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
and economics and journalism at the National University of San Marcos
National University of San Marcos
The National University of San Marcos is the most important and respected higher-education institution in Peru. Its main campus, the University City, is located in Lima...
. He worked for the magazine El Mundo
El Mundo
El Mundo may refer to:*El Mundo , 1983 album recorded by Diomedes Diaz*El Mundo , Puerto Rican newspaper*El Mundo , Spanish newspaper*El Mundo , Venezuelan newspaper*El Mundo , Argentine newspaper...
in 1974, then served short stints with the daily newspapers Expreso, El Diario, and El Nacional. In 1987 he worked as an investigative reporter at the television station Canal 2 before becoming deputy director of the magazine Sí
Sí (Peruvian magazine)
Sí is a Peruvian news magazine. In 1993, its editor Ricardo Uceda was instrumental in exposing the La Cantuta Massacre, an incident in which nine students and one professor from La Cantuta University were executed by army soldiers and buried in a mass grave....
the following year.
Anti-corruption journalism
During his tenure at Sí, Uceda published reports on the corruption of government officials, exposing army massacres and collaboration with drug lords. He consistently refused to reveal the sourcesJournalism sourcing
In journalism, a source is a person, publication, or other record or document that gives timely information. Outside journalism, sources are sometimes known as "news sources"...
of his investigations, leading to numerous government cases against him. He was also accused by government spokespeople of being connected with the Shining Path
Shining Path
Shining Path is a Maoist guerrilla terrorist organization in Peru. The group never refers to itself as "Shining Path", and as several other Peruvian groups, prefers to be called the "Communist Party of Peru" or "PCP-SL" in short...
, though these charges were never substantiated. In 1992, Sí ran a story implicating senior military officials in the Barrios Altos massacre
Barrios Altos massacre
The Barrios Altos massacre took place on 3 November 1991, in the Barrios Altos neighborhood of Lima, Peru. Fifteen people, including an eight-year-old child, were killed, and four more injured, by assailants who were later determined to be members of Grupo Colina, a death squad made up of members...
, an incident in which the anti-communist death squad Grupo Colina
Grupo Colina
Grupo Colina was a paramilitary anti-communist death squad created in Peru that was active from 1990 until 1994, during the administration of Alberto Fujimori...
killed fifteen partygoers, including an eight-year-old child, after mistaking them for Shining Path members. Following the story, Uceda was the subject of a police investigation for "falsifying information", a charge of which he was later cleared. An Americas Watch (an arm of Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
) spokesperson condemned the investigation as being part of a general pattern of repression against journalists by the government of Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Fujimori Fujimori served as President of Peru from 28 July 1990 to 17 November 2000. A controversial figure, Fujimori has been credited with the creation of Fujimorism, uprooting terrorism in Peru and restoring its macroeconomic stability, though his methods have drawn charges of...
.
In one high-profile case in 1993, members of a dissatisfied army faction directed Uceda to a mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
containing the corpses of nine students and one professor kidnapped from La Cantuta University. Ten army
Peruvian Army
The Peruvian Army is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding internal security, conducting disaster relief operations...
officers and soldiers were eventually charged with the crime, which became known as the La Cantuta Massacre
La Cantuta massacre
The La Cantuta massacre, in which a university professor and nine students from Lima's La Cantuta University were abducted by a military death squad and "disappeared", took place in Peru on 18 July 1992 during the presidency of Alberto Fujimori...
. When angry officials accused Uceda of obstructing justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
in response to his reporting—a crime punishable by a prison term—the Peruvian Congress held a vote to guarantee his safety. Complicity in this massacre became one of the charges for which then-president Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Fujimori Fujimori served as President of Peru from 28 July 1990 to 17 November 2000. A controversial figure, Fujimori has been credited with the creation of Fujimorism, uprooting terrorism in Peru and restoring its macroeconomic stability, though his methods have drawn charges of...
was subsequently tried and found guilty by a panel of three Peruvian judges.
In 1994, Uceda resigned as editor-in-chief of Sí to form a special investigative team at El Comercio, then Peru's most popular daily newspaper. As with Uceda's Sí reporting, the Comercio team focused on cases of governmental corruption. One of the team's most notable successes came in 1998, when they exposed the misuse of state funds intended for the survivors of El Niño-created floods and mudslides; the story resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of Civil Defense Chief General Homero Nureña.
In 2004, he published the book Muerte en el Pentagonito: Los cementerios secretos del Ejército Peruano, which explored individual cases in the long conflict between the Shining Path and the Peruvian Army.
Awards and recognition
Uceda was awarded a 1993 International Press Freedom AwardCPJ International Press Freedom Awards
The CPJ International Press Freedom Awards honour journalists around the world who show courage in defending press freedom in the face of attacks, threats or imprisonment. Created in 1991, the awards are administered by the Committee to Protect Journalists....
of the Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
in recognition of his reporting on both the La Cantuta and Barrios Altos massacres.
In 2000, the International Press Institute
International Press Institute
International Press Institute is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. Founded in October 1950, the IPI has members in over 120 countries....
selected him as one of 50 "press heroes" of media freedom of the past half-century. His book Muerte en el Pentagonito: Los cementerios secretos del Ejército Peruano was shortlisted for the Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage in 2005, losing to Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier by UK author Alexandra Fuller
Alexandra Fuller
Alexandra Fuller is an Anglo-African author, who currently lives in the U.S. state of Wyoming.-Biography:Her first book was Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, a memoir of life with her family living all around Africa...
. In the same year, he won the Maria Moors Cabot prize
Maria Moors Cabot prize
The Maria Moors Cabot Prizes are the oldest international awards in the field of journalism. They pick what the Trustees of Columbia University see as journalistic contributions to inter-American understanding.-Award:...
of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, the oldest international award in the field of journalism.