Valério Nascimento

Valério Nascimento was a Brazilian owner, editor, and journalist for the Panorama Geral, which had published issues that were critical of local authorities in São Paulo state. Nascimento was shot twice in the backyard of his home on May 3, 2011, which is World Press Freedom Day. The motive is unknown, but is believed to have been politically driven.

Valério Nascimento was 48 years old when he was murdered on May 3, 2011.

Nascimento was shot dead outside of his home in Rio Claro on Tuesday May 3, 2011. The gunman had shot Nascimento once in the head and once in the back. Since the Panorama Geral had recently published articles about the city of Bananal and with Nascimento's work in politics, many people and authorities believed there was a motive behind the killing. Carlos Matos, who was the officer in charge of the investigation, believed Nascimento's murder was motivated politically. On May 4, the Committee to Protect Journalists insisted that local authorities coordinate a rigorous investigation of his murder to see if it was work related. There has been no proof of any motive so far.

Violence against journalists was on the rise in Brazil in 2011, with two other Brazilian journalists killed and a blogger shot and wounded. In April, less than a month before Nascimento was murdered, Luciano Leitão Pedrosa, a radio and television journalist known for his critical coverage of local authorities and criminal groups, was shot in Pernambuco state. Ricardo Gama, a critical political blogger, was seriously wounded in March when he was shot in the head, neck, and chest as he walked in his Rio de Janeiro neighborhood.