"You may remember him for his oval glasses and droopy eyes, for the smile he always gave to viewers and for the contrast between the reflections and the humorous criticisms he made about Colombia, a country that at that time was in the midst of a violent scenario composed of paramilitary groups and the extinct FARC [guerrilla group].
'They killed Jaime Garzón,' those were the words heard in the news media after the journalist and comedian was murdered in Bogotá on Aug. 13, 1999, while waiting for a red light to change. [Read our LJR article on the 20th anniversary of the crime.]
[...]
Radionet became the first news outlet to publish the news. Colleagues announced the death of a friend for practicing journalism, for not remaining silent in the face of the difficulties the country was going through in the 90s. For Jaime Garzón himself, this would not have been a surprise. Death inhabited Colombia all the time.
The news shocked the entire country. At the time, Garzón said he had been a victim of death threats and deep down he expected that end."
