Aged 36, Flores was the programme director of Casma’s Canal 6 TV station. The Press and Society Institute (IPYS) and the National Association of Journalists (ANP) quoted his wife and fellow journalist, Mercedes Cueva, as saying the murder was politically motivated.

Flores had been the target of frequent threats during the past three months for linking the mayor of the nearby district of Comandante Noel, Marco Rivera Huerta, to alleged corruption cases. The mayor, who had brought a defamation action against Flores, has denied having anything to do with his murder.

“The circumstances surrounding Flores’ murder have much in common with those surrounding the murder of fellow journalist Julio Castillo Narváez [http://en.rsf.org/peru-journalist-at-odds-with-local-05-05-2011,40234.html](http://en.rsf.org/peru-journalist-at-odds-with-local-05-05-2011,40234.html) on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day.” Reporters Without Borders said. “Both were in the north. Both had covered sensitive stories. Both had received the same kinds of threats. And a political motive was suspected in both cases.

“Given the lack of progress in the Castillo murder – the arrests of two possible suspects but no other results – we fear that the investigation into the Flores murde could be just as slow. Experience has unfortunately shown a very high level of impunity for murders of journalists when politicians, judges or police officers are suspected of being in any way involved.

“We offer our condolences to Flores’ family and colleagues, and we reiterate our appeal to the government [http://en.rsf.org/peru-open-letter-urges-incoming-28-07-2011,40709.html](http://en.rsf.org/peru-open-letter-urges-incoming-28-07-2011,40709.html) and the highest judicial authorties to lose no time in demonstrating a strong determination to combat impunity and defend the right to report the news.”

Two signals of such a determination would be the decriminalization of media offences and the immediate release of Paul Garay Ramírez, a programme producer for Visión 47 TV and a correspondent for Radio La Exitosa, who was sentenced to three years in prison by a court in the east-central region of Ucayali on 19 April for allegedly defaming a prosecutor [http://en.rsf.org/peru-appeal-to-presidential-candidates-26-04-2011,40105.html](http://en.rsf.org/peru-appeal-to-presidential-candidates-26-04-2011,40105.html).

Garay’s sentenced has since been halved but Reporters Without Borders supports the Peruvian journalists’ groups that say he should be freed at once.