"Since noon Thursday, September 10, several journalists in the department of Arauca have received an identical text message accusing them of being alleged "mouthpieces for the ELN" and warning them that it is "forbidden to continue playing that game, or they won't be held responsible." We reject these threats and stigmatizations that put the safety and work of local journalists at risk.
"The Araucan press has faced a grave context of violence and a lack of guarantees to practice journalism. For example, in the 2000s, 16 journalists were displaced from the department after receiving threats from the paramilitary Self-Defense Forces (AUC) and the guerrilla FARC. Today, Arauca ranks as the Colombian department with the third-highest number of attacks against the press, with threats accounting for 48% of these violations."
