Miami (January 24, 2025) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA), through its campaign on impunity in crimes against journalists called "Voices Claiming Justice," urges to keep alive the memory of the photojournalist José Luis Cabezas, whose murder shook Argentina 28 years ago.
Cabezas worked at the magazine Noticias, part of the Perfil publishing group, when he was murdered on January 25, 1997, in the town of Pinamar, a beach city in the province of Buenos Aires. The crime, perpetrated by the gang Los Horneros allegedly on behalf of the powerful postal businessman Alfredo Yabrán, revealed apparent links between him and then President Carlos Menem.
His murder became a painful symbol in the history of Argentine journalism and sparked numerous demonstrations showing the image of the photojournalist accompanied by the phrase "Do Not Forget Cabezas".
In 1996, Cabezas photographed the enigmatic Yabrán as he walked on the beach, and the image — the first one known of the businessman — was published by Noticias on March 3 alongside investigations into Yabrán and his businesses. Nearly a year later, Cabezas was shot twice in the back of the head and then "his body was set on fire inside the Ford Fiesta that Noticias had rented for the photojournalist to cover that summer season," as recalled by the newspaper Perfil.
According to Gabriel Michi, a journalist, friend, and colleague of Cabezas who identified his body and informed his family of his murder, the photo taken of Yabrán "put a face to the most powerful figure of the 90s', who boasted that 'not even intelligence services had his photos".
The judicial investigation revealed that Yabrán considered the publication of his image as an affront, and it was determined that the former military officer and his Security chief, Gregorio Ríos, ordered Cabezas' kidnapping by the criminal gang Los Horneros, colluding with police officers. Although he was identified as the alleged mastermind of the murder, Yabrán was never tried; he committed suicide on May 20, 1998, after his arrest was ordered.
The other accused in the crime — several police officers, members of Los Horneros, and Yabrán's head of security — were sentenced to life imprisonment, though their sentences were later reduced. None of those convicted for Cabezas' murder remains in prison.
The second vice president of IAPA, president of the Committee on Press Freedom and Information of the organization, Carlos Jornet, stated: "We reaffirm our commitment to keep cases like that of José Luis Cabezas in the public memory, which marked a turning point in the exercise of free journalism in Argentina'"
Jornet, editorial director of the Argentine newspaper La Voz del Interior, added: "We will continue to demand justice and truth for journalists who are victims of violence".
The IAPA campaign "Voices Claiming Justice" aims to highlight and keep alive the memory of journalists murdered in the Americas, to remember their journalistic work, and to continue urging authorities to end the impunity surrounding most of these crimes, through the pursuit of justice.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.