Journalism organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF in French) called on Colombian authorities to guarantee the safety of four journalists who had received threats from La Guajira governor Juan Francisco Gómez. Last weekend, Gómez was arrested for his alleged participation in three killings and accused of having links with criminal organizations, news agency AFP reported.
In a letter addressed to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre and National Police director Rodolfo Palomino, RSF said that Gómez's arrest "has not eliminated the risks" that journalists Claudia López, Gonzalo Guillén, León Valencia and Ariel Ávila face.
"This appeal concerns not only their physical safety but also, and above all, a judicial resolution of the grave allegations they brought to the public’s knowledge in the course of their work, namely the disturbing infiltration of certain areas of the state apparatus by paramilitaries and drug traffickers," RSF said.
The threats against the journalists began four months ago when the National Protection Unit (UNP) informed about a plan to kill Guillén, Valencia and Ávila. The three reporters and López had denounced the alleged links between La Guajira governor Juan Francisco ‘Kiko’ Gómez and the criminal group led by drug trafficker Marcos Figueroa.
Guillén, Valencia and Ávila went on temporary exile after receiving the threats, RSF said. On Sept. 25, the UNP provided police protection and an armored vehicle for the four journalists after informing them that Figeroa's criminal organization was targeting them.
López decided to leave the country on Oct. 1. Guillén also left on Oct. 12.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
