“Thirty three Colombian newspapers and news sites published an editorial titled ‘For a pillar of freedoms,’ in which they warn about the situation of press freedom in Colombia. It says that during 2024, the country has been experiencing 'a worrying setback in this field' and calls on the government of President Gustavo Petro to guarantee […]
"Lawyer and journalist Édgar José Garay Álvarez sustained two gunshot wounds and was killed when he was traveling in a van through the site known as El Retén, near the Las Brujas airport, jurisdiction of Corozal (Sucre). For several years, Édgar Garay had dedicated himself to managing the Noti Sincelejo page, where he published controversial […]
"A group of 25 civil society organizations from seven Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Nicaragua) presented a report to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on trends in indirect censorship of freedom of expression in the region. At the hearing “Affectations on the Right to Freedom of Expression […]
“Nov. 28, 2024 marked the second anniversary of the murder of journalist Wilder Alfredo Córdoba, who was shot and killed at the age of 35 in the municipality of La Unión, in the department of Nariño, Colombia. His death, perpetrated by armed men who intercepted him while he was riding a motorcycle, remains an unpunished […]
"Thanks to [Jineth Bedoya's] tireless struggle, Colombia passed a law named after her movement that allocates $500,000 annually to prevent attacks on female reporters. For the journalist, although she claims it is 'a balm for the soul,' it is still ironic. 'I have a law, but no justice,' she says, alluding to the impunity of […]
"Journalists in the subregion of Magdalena Medio are mourning following the murder of [Colombian] radio announcer Steven Andrés Fajardo, affiliated with the station Triunfadora Stereo, in the municipality of Puerto Triunfo. According to reports, Fajardo was killed on the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 21, in the town of Doradal, in the same municipality, while passing […]
"Digital harassment affects journalists, which translates into censorship and self-censorship and is a form of violence. Confrontations, stigmatization and smear campaigns on social media are some of the strategies used, in a coordinated manner, against journalists. This phenomenon occurs in Colombia and is also seen in other countries. What is the anatomy of this digital […]
“'We have all your information.' This is part of the message that Colombian journalist Idinael Fernández, who works at Radio Magdalena, received on his cell phone a few days ago. Fernández denounced that he had been threatened by alleged members of the [criminal group] Clan del Golfo. [...] The journalist said that he had received […]
“Colombian journalists face recurring threats from paramilitary groups and criminal gangs. In the last two months, journalists from at least five different media outlets across the country have received a series of threats –including death threats–, leading some journalists to self-censor. President Gustavo Petro has received the most urgent cases directly and has publicly requested […]
"This Thursday [Oct. 10], Colombian President Gustavo Petro asked to 'immediately activate security routes' for the Colombian media outlet Vorágine, which reported threats for its investigations related to paramilitarism and drug trafficking, and six other journalists identified as 'high risk.' [...] Vorágine published a statement on Thursday that said, 'Due to situations that compromise our […]
“The Colombian Media Association (AMI, by its initials in Spanish) –the organization that represents most of the country's print media [...]– published a statement [on Oct. 3] urging citizens to protect the rights of freedom of the press, of information and of expression, in the face of constant threats that seek to ‘limit democracy in […]
“[On Sept. 26,] the 10th Criminal Court of Bogotá sentenced the former director of intelligence of Colombia's now-defunct Administrative Department of Security (DAS, for its acronym in Spanish), Enrique Alberto Ariza Rivas, to 12.5 years in prison for the crime of aggravated torture. In the first instance, the Court found him responsible for the persecution […]