Peru: Journalist and regional election candidate murdered

A journalist and candidate in Peru's regional elections was shot and killed Saturday while holding a campaign event at a market, authorities reported.

Susy Aponte, 44, a candidate for governor of the department of Áncash, was attacked while touring a market with supporters in the district of Caraz in that region.

Aponte was running in the Oct. 4 regional elections.

The attack left five people with gunshot wounds who were taken to the regional hospital, and a Venezuelan man was arrested, according to a police statement.

Aponte ran a news website, "China Polo Dominical," where she published reports on alleged irregularities and corruption within the police force.

A few days ago, she reported on social media that she had received threats from prisons.

The National Elections Board condemned the murder and "demanded that the competent authorities resolve the case as quickly as possible."

"Violence has no place in a democratic society," the electoral body stated in a press release.

The Peruvian Press Council, which represents journalists in Peru, called for an investigation into the journalist's murder.

"The motives behind the murder must be clarified. Other murder cases have not been solved," it stated on its social media accounts.

Four Peruvian journalists were murdered in 2025, according to police.