Buenos Aires, January 24 (NA) — 29 years have passed since the murder of José Luis Cabezas, the photojournalist who was killed by hitmen hired by the tycoon Alfredo Yabrán, who committed suicide minutes before his arrest. The murder of the photojournalist occurred in 1997 while he was on vacation in Pinamar. On January 25, he was found dead with several gunshot wounds inside his car, which had been set on fire. The murder of Cabezas generated great social and political mobilization in Argentina. “What happened to José Luis had a unique impact on Argentine society. Never in the history of the world has anything like this happened: that an entire society mobilizes in defense of a journalist,” he stated. How was Cabezas' crime committed In the summer of 1996, José Luis Cabezas worked for the magazine Noticias as a photographer and investigative journalist. Before his murder, he had been investigating corruption and drug trafficking in the province of Buenos Aires. His life changed on March 3 of that year when the magazine put the first photo of Yabrán on its cover, who had been hiding from the flashes ever since. The person in charge of the photo was Cabezas, and it was his death sentence. However, the Argentine justice system continued to investigate and prosecute other individuals involved in the murder, such as the “Los Horneros” gang, a group of criminals from La Plata, composed of José Luis Auge, Héctor Retana, Sergio González, and Horacio Braga. The death of José Luis Cabezas is remembered every year in Argentina as a symbol of the fight for freedom of expression and justice. Various events are expected to be held in Pinamar and General Madariaga to commemorate him and to continue the call for justice. This Sunday, as every January 25, family, friends, and colleagues remember Cabezas and raise the flag of struggle, holding various meetings and maintaining his work as a photojournalist and journalist. Gabriel Michi, editor of Newsweek Argentina and Cabezas' colleague at the time of the event, reflected some time ago on the impact of the murder that marked a before and after in the history of Argentine journalism. Cabezas was murdered at the age of 35. Demonstrations and marches were held in his memory. In addition, investigations and sanctions were demanded for those responsible for his death, reported the Argentine News Agency. Finally, in 2000, Yabrán, owner of OCA, committed suicide before being arrested. The homicide of the professional became a symbol of press freedom and put journalistic work at risk.
