Radio journalist shot and killed in Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY, Sep 11 (Reuters) A Guatemalan radio reporter and human rights activist was found shot to death in his car police said, the latest in a wave of attacks and death threats against journalists in the country.

Eduardo Maas, 58, was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the central town of Coban, said local police investigating his yesterday murder.

During the Central American country's 1960-1996 civil war, reporters were a target of security forces and death squads.

Since peace talks ended the conflict, journalists have faced dangers from organized crime groups and drug gangs.

Patricia Gomez, news editor at national radio station Radio Punto, where Maas worked, said colleagues and family members were not aware he had received threats related to his work.

Last month, a radio reporter was shot in the face during a botched assassination attempt by motorcycle gunmen in Guatemala City, and four journalists in the nearby town of Antigua received death threats after reporting on corruption.

Guatemalan human rights ombudsman Sergio Morales said a newspaper journalist in Coban was threatened shortly after Maas' death.

''We are deeply concerned about this alarming increase in threats and attacks against the media,'' he said, counting 13 incidents in recent weeks.

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