“Don't forget about Cabezas”, the motto imposed by the group of Graphic Reporters comes back into force this January 25, the 25th anniversary of the murder of José Luis Cabezas, which occurred in the Buenos Aires city of Pinamar, while he was working.

By Law 24,876, sanctioned on September 10, 1997 and promulgated on October 13 of the same year, January 25 is established as the National Day of the Graphic Reporter.

On Sunday, March 3, 1996, Noticias Magazine published the first image of businessman Alfredo Yabrán on its cover. He was walking with his wife along the beaches of Pinamar, dressed in a white checkered bathing suit and embroidery.

Alfredo Yabrán by José Luis Cabezas. Image: Editorial Profile

Behind the lens was José Luis Cabezas, a 34-year-old photographer who covered the summer season in the Atlantic resort for Editorial Perfil. The following year, at dawn on January 25, 1997, after leaving a party organized by businessman Oscar Andreani, José Luis Cabezas is intercepted, kidnapped and murdered in General Madariaga.

Image: AP Agency

This murder became the greatest emblem of the fight for freedom of expression.

His colleagues and friends, Ana Paula Far Puharre and Guillermo Cantón, who shared the writing of Revista Noticias with him, remember him and express what his death meant.

-What does the commemoration of this day mean to you, as a reporter and photojournalist?

Ana Paula Far Puharre: It is a very sad day for me, not only because of the memory of José Luis but because I feel that somehow they killed us all.

Jose Luis was killed for fulfilling his work, until then I had never thought that something like this could happen for doing photojournalism, now everything was tinged with death.

Guillermo Cantón: I cannot associate one thing with the other, the Photojournalist's day should be a party, a celebration of colleagues. For me, January 25 is the day José Luis was murdered.

José Luis Cabezas and Ana Paula Far Puharre. Photo: courtesy Ana Paula Far Puharre

-How do you remember José Luis Cabezas?

APFP: I remember him as a very funny person, he was hooked on all of them, although he was kind of horny when they did them to him. He liked to take photos for the magazine, he worked hard and did not complain about it. He was also a family member, we used to have barbecues where everyone would go with his family.

GC: After all these years I can remember the friend I was lucky enough to have. Cheerful and witty, we had a lot of fun in a high-pressure and quite stressful work environment. Impossible to get bored with him.

-What did his death mean for his colleagues?

APFP: I think that the meaning passes because they had tried to silence us. His brutal murder caused fear on the one hand and, on the other, a need to take to the streets to ask for justice. We tried to record what was happening, it was something unprecedented, people went out into the streets en masse to accompany us.

GC: The murder of José Luis was a before and after in the profession, and in some way it was also the end of a profession that suffered the consequences of the changes in the big print media.

- Were there any changes in your professional activity after the death of José Luis?

APFP: Yes, something changed and not for the better. From my place I felt that he stopped investigating in depth, things were no longer being followed thoroughly. Sometimes he didn't even leave the newsroom, he investigated himself by phone. Nothing seemed to make sense or be worth it.

GC: It's funny that we keep calling him a photojournalist when hardly any images are printed anymore. There was a coincidence between the murder of Cabezas and the death of a profession. Today most of the photographers who record current affairs work for state agencies and feed official propaganda.

-What do you consider to be the pending issue that you have for him and his memory?

APFP: The most unfair thing of all is that they took his life, they took his father from his children and none of those involved in the case is in custody.

GC: I don't know, I think society hasn't forgotten his crime. Pending in his memory we have a lot to do in relation to the dark deals between corrupt rulers and unscrupulous businessmen.

Ana Paula Far Puharre began her studies at Andy Goldstein's School of Creative Photography. Between 1993 and 2002 she worked as a photojournalist for the magazine Noticias and she covered correspondents for the magazines América Economía, Gato Pardo and Revista Poder. In 2006, she joined Fox Sport Revistas as photo editor for all Spanish-language publications in America. During that time as a photojournalist in the media, photography was a tool to give visibility to issues, for her, left aside. Currently, her authorial work “Partida” is in print and she is dedicated to teaching, where she finds the possibility of stimulating new photographers to use photography as a tool.

Guillermo Cantón, a former photojournalist, was a friend and colleague of José Luis Cabezas in the magazine Noticias. Today he is editor of Contrastes magazine and dedicates his activities to documentary filmmaking and music.

William Canton. Photo courtesy Guillermo Canton

Verónica Mastrosimone is a curator, photographer and cultural mediator. She recently curated the 2001 Memory of Chaos exhibition. From the atomization to the popular organization that can be visited, free of charge, at the Casa Nacional del Bicentenario (Riobamba 985 CABA) until Sunday, January 23, from Thursday to Saturday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sundays from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

She worked as a permanent collaborator in Miradas al sur, Veintitrés Magazine, Rolling Stones, Page 12, Le Monde Diplomatique, Marco Polo magazine, Miradas al sur newspaper, La Nación and in the site belonging to Rock and Pop, elfoco.com, among others.

She coordinates Photographic Essay workshops, she is a tutor for projects by visual artists, a teacher at universities and journalism schools. She curates Camera Obscura, a website that brings together photographers from around the world.

She was selected for the creation scholarships of the National Endowment for the Arts, 99th National Exhibition of Visual Arts 2010, finalist for the FELIFA DOT Award.

Veronica Mastrosimone. Photo: courtesy Veronica Mastrosimone

Verónica expresses how she, a student at that time, experienced the murder of José Luis Cabezas and how she considers that this fact influenced the vision of society towards her profession.

“When the murder of José Luis Cabezas happened, I was studying at the Graphic Reporters Association and I remember taking photos, during that year of 1997, of the tributes and events that were held every month. Cover the suffering of her mother and the struggle of her sister with the same anger that the colleagues had.

After the exhibition at the Casa del Bicentenario about 2001, I believe that these dates remind society that there are workers who risk it for having the truth. Many issues make photojournalism questioned, valued. It is a stone in the shoe for many people, especially for the powerful.

Journalism and photojournalism continue to be a visibility tool that they still fear. There is an ethic of photojournalism that is the truth, go for the truth.

I believe that as a result of the murder of José Luis Cabezas there was a change within the group of reporters, it was like feeling with more responsibilities, being united and united. If you look at the history of the Association of Reporters and Reporters you see a very large growth from that date ".

Gallery of photos taken by José Luis Cabezas

Cristina Kirchner, Nestor Kirchner, Gustavo Beliz and Florencia Kirchner

Rene Favaloro

diego maradonna

William Suarez Mason

Ernesto Sabato

The Luthiers

Carolina Peleretti

Cover Photo: News Magazine