An attack on a photographer in Colombia by the National Police on Oct. 23 prompted press organizations to demand more investigations and punishments against those that harm journalists.
Ana María García, reporter for the newspaper El Tiempo, was covering a public transportation accident when she was harassed by a police officer who threw her to the ground without apparent cause. The assault was captured in photographs and on video. The commander of the Bogotá police apologized for the officer's actions.
The Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP in Spanish), however, issued a warning that this was only the most recent in a series of police aggressions against reporters during the last weeks, the organization said on its website.
On Oct. 12, police attacked five journalists and arbitrarily detained another during the "National Week of Indignation" protests in Bogotá, the capital. Journalist Jhonathan Ardila's equipment was seized by anti-riot police in Bucaramanga while he covered mass transit protests on Sept. 28.
FLIP was most concerned with the fact that these events are consisten with results from a survey conducted by the Antonio Nariño Project of more than 600 journalists across Colombia. Journalists surveyed said their greatest fear while working were restrictions on their mobility by authorities and police aggression.
"FLIP hopes that the police conduct disciplinary investigations and punish those responsible. We hope that the minister of defense and the national police take the necessary measures to prevent similar events in the future," the report said.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF in French) also condemned the growing violence against the press in Colombia and called for investigations and punishment of those responsible. “The government has an obligation to guarantee freedom of information and the protection of journalists. The law on public safety should not be used as an excuse to prevent demonstrations, carry out arbitrary arrests or, even worse, assault journalists,” RSF said on its website.
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.
