[UPDATE: Note correction to date and time below: this Friday (30 July) at 10.30 AM.]

Received by email:

Press conference by Elisabetta Polenghi, sister of Fabio Polenghi, the Italian photographer killed in Rajprasong on May 19th, Shawn Crispin, representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists, and some members of the “Fabio Polenghi’s Last Pictures” facebook network.

A little more than two months ago, freelance photographer Fabio Polenghi was killed on Rajdamri road at 10.40 am. After the death of Reuters TV video journalist Hiroyuki Muramoto on 10th of April in Khok Wua, Fabio was the second journalist killed while covering the Thai political crisis. This is a very heavy price paid by the media to report the truth of the situation on the Thai political events. Numerous other journalists, Thai and Foreign, have been wounded during the confrontation between the Red shirts and the military.

Isa Polenghi, Fabio’s sister, has undertaken this week a journey of hope. “Two months have passed and we still do not know how my brother has died”, she says. “No definitive forensic report that could clarify the dynamics of the situation. No trace of the person who took his camera even though we provided the authorities with some photographs of the face of this man”. But something has been moving. In Bangkok, a spontaneous network of photo-reporters, journalists, diplomats and local authorities are searching for rays of truth. Some of this network members will be present at the press conference.

In parallel, the Committee to Protect Journalists will release its report on Medias and Politics in Thailand. This hard hitting report is putting both Thai autorithies and demonstrations organizers in face of their responsabilities vis a vis the killing of journalists in downtown Bangkok. Shawn Crispin, representative of the CPJ for Southeast Asia will be one of the panelists, as well as Elisabetta Polenghi, Mike Bach and Eve M.J. Lee, two of Fabio’s friends.

Elisabetta, accompanied by Eve M. J. Lee and Mike Bach, two friends of Fabio, has met officials from the police department and the government. She will give, along with other people involved, a press conference at the FCCT on July 30 (this coming Friday) at 10:30 am.