Peruvian journalist Fernando Nunez. Peru's National Association of Journalists

Peruvian journalist Fernando Nunez, whose reporting dug into municipal corruption cases, was shot and killed by hitmen while returning from an assignment, Peru's National Association of Journalists (ANP) said Sunday.

Nunez, a reporter for the digital outlet Kamila TV, "was attacked by hitmen while riding a motorcycle with his brother" on Saturday, the ANP said in a statement on social media.

Nunez died instantly and his brother was in critical condition.

Nunez is the third journalist killed by organized crime in Peru in 2025, following the slayings of journalists Gaston Medina and Raul Celis. Medina, the owner and editor of a regional TV channel, was gunned down as he was leaving his house in the south-central city of Ica.

The ANP called for investigators to prioritize Nunez's journalistic work as a prime motive for the crime.

The latest incident "reveals an intolerable escalation of violence against those who exercise the right to inform. Every life taken not only represents a direct attack on journalism, but also on democracy and the citizen's right to be informed," the ANP said.

"They are killing us," the ANP said in a separate social media post. "Violence against the press does not stop and impunity continues to make way for new attacks. We can't normalize it. We can't keep quiet."

Last week, a journalist was physically assaulted and robbed while covering a land dispute, the ANP said.

Violent crime has been on the rise in Peru, where 1,888 homicides were reported in 2025 through October, a 13 percent increase year-over-year in the same period.

Peru has seen a surge in crime in recent years, with organized crime and extortion-related murders taking off amid high levels of post-pandemic poverty and unemployment, along with political instability and the rise of gang violence.

Peru ranked 125 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders' Press Freedom Index for 2024, a "dramatic fall" in two years.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hitmen-kill-reporter-covered-corruption-peru-journalist-group/