Protection to reporter threatened with death

Gianni Festa is the editor of the daily newspaper Quotidiano del Sud of Avellino. He was threatened. The same threat was directed at Federico Festa, who had been working in Benevento for some time.

“We will shoot you”. After this threat was directed at Gianni Festa and Federico Festa (two journalists who have the same surname, but who are unrelated), the Provincial Committee of Avellino for Public Order and Safety ordered on the 8^th November 2018 protection measures for the first of the two: a permanent police escort. Gianni Festa informed Ossigeno of the decision. The threat was sent anonymously with a handwritten note and placed in two anonymous white envelopes addressed to the two journalists and delivered on the 2^nd November 2018 to the Avellino editorial offices of the “Quotidiano del Sud”.

Gianni Festa is the chief editor of the Avellino edition of the “Quotidiano del Sud”, to which the envelopes were sent. Federico Festa is a journalist of the online publication Ottopagine, based in Benevento. In the past they worked together, in the same editorial offices in Avellino. About a couple of years ago, Federico has moved to the area of Sannio.

Both have formally reported the incident the same day to the Avellino Prosecutor. Investigations are under way to find out the identity of the author of the threats. As for the possible motive, even the recipients of the threats are unable to provide indications.

Gianni Festa, as well as being chief editor of the “Quotidiano del Sud” newspaper is the anchor man of a television programme that is broadcast on IrpiniaTv and addresses issues of politics, crime, real estate and speculation. “Avellino – is changing its skin – he told Ossigeno – and when you change skin, you change the rules. But I care a lot about my city and I think that observing it is a civil duty. And I will not stop”. Federico Festa told Ossigeno: “The fact that the envelope was sent to Avellino makes me think that the episode may be related to the period of my previous journalist activity in Avellino, where I worked for many years “.

The Regional Order of Journalists, the Union of Journalists of Campania and Ossigeno have all expressed solidarity with the journalists.

Oxygen took up the case of Gianni Festa in 2015, reporting that he had received an envelope with a bullet.

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