The recent murder of Argentine singer Facundo Cabral in Guatemala is an incredible tragedy. Cabral, a pacifist and one of Latin America’s most celebrated protest singers, left his country in 1973 for almost a decade after a military junta took over and during a campaign of state-sponsored violence carried out major human rights violations. He died in a country that is known for violence, first during a civil war, and now under the overwhelming control of organised crime. Cabral was collateral damage.

It has long been suspected that Guatemala’s entertainment networks are controlled by thugs who combine the promotion of artists with other illegal activities. According to media reports, the guns that killed Cabral were directed at his promoter, Henry Fariñas, a Nicaraguan businessman who owns bars and cabarets across Central America. Reports suggests the shooting was drug-related. That the shooting was so brazen — it took place in broad daylight, on the route to the airport and the singers vehicle was hit by a hail of bullets from three carloads of men — is just one example of how far rule of law has Guatemala.

Many Central American nations, notably Mexico, are also experiencing similar outrageous acts of violence perpetrated by violent criminal organisations which demonstrate how far organised crime has penetrated society.

The murder of Cabral is a blow to free speech; he was a man who fought for freedom of expression during South America’s dark days of state violence, and died in a new era of gang violence.