Peruvian Journalist and Candidate Shot Dead at Campaign Event Days After Warning of Death Threats

Susy Aponte Polo, a journalist and candidate for regional governor in Peru's Áncash region, was shot dead at a campaign event in a Caraz market just days after publicly warning that an attack had been ordered against her and reporting death threats linked to her work.

The killing came 15 days before Peru's regional and municipal elections on 4 October. Aponte Polo had publicly said she was receiving death threats that she believed were linked to her political and journalistic work. Authorities have not established whether those allegations or the threats she reported were connected to her killing.

Aponte Polo, widely known as 'La China Polo', had used her journalism and broadcasting work in Áncash, a mountainous region north of Lima, to report on alleged corruption within the National Police. She was standing for the regional government with the regional movement Socios por Áncash.

Aponte Polo was shot during the campaign activity at about 12:40 pm, according to prosecutors and police reports. The attack took place near a Caja Huancayo branch while Aponte Polo was taking part in a campaign activity. She was taken to Hospital San Juan de Dios de Caraz after suffering gunshot wounds but did not survive.

Prosecutors have reclassified the investigation as suspected sicariato, or contract killing. Authorities are examining several hypotheses over who may have ordered the attack, but have not publicly established a motive.

Susy Aponte Polo Had Reported Death Threats

Shortly before her death, Aponte Polo had said publicly that an attack had been ordered against her. She had also reported receiving death threats that she linked to her work as both a journalist and political candidate.

Her death brought renewed attention to the risks facing local candidates and reporters as Peru moved into the final fortnight of campaigning. Aponte Polo was seeking the governorship of Áncash, a region that includes major mining activity and receives substantial mining canon revenues distributed among regional and local governments.

The 4 October vote will elect regional governors and mayors across Peru. The elections will also be the first nationwide electoral test since President Keiko Fujimori took office on 28 July.

Áncash also carries economic importance because it hosts Antamina, described as one of the world's largest copper and zinc mines. Mining activity generates substantial canon revenues that are distributed among Áncash's regional and local governments, making management of public investment an important issue for the regional government.

Susy Aponte Polo Case Reclassified as Suspected Contract Killing

Authorities have detained three people in connection with the killing, according to Prosecutor‑General Tomás Gálvez. The prosecutor's office separately identified Luis Iván Obispo Díaz, a Venezuelan national, and Ronald José Toro Artila, a Peruvian national, as two people detained in flagrante.

Prosecutors initially opened a preliminary investigation into suspected femicide, but the case has since been transferred to the Second Provincial Corporate Criminal Prosecutor's Office of Huaylas and reclassified as suspected sicariato, or contract killing.

Peru's National Jury of Elections (JNE) and National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) condemned the killing and called for the case to be clarified. Both bodies also expressed solidarity with Aponte Polo's family and political movement.

The Consejo de la Prensa Peruana separately called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances and motive. The case entered the final days of the campaign with key questions unresolved, including who ordered the shooting and whether her earlier warnings were connected.

With voting due on 4 October, investigators have yet to establish whether the threats Aponte Polo reported before her death were directly connected to the shooting as prosecutors continue their inquiry.