“'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 […]
"On Sept. 19, 2024, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 65/2024, granting precautionary measures in favor of William Stiven Rojas Rincon and his family, considering that they are in a serious and urgent situation of risk of irreparable damage to their rights in Colombia. According to the request, the beneficiary is a […]
“The prosecutor's office accused Freisman Yesid Toro Meléndez, a journalist from the city of Cali in Colombia, of having simulated threats against his life to maintain the security benefits granted by the National Protection Unit. The events occurred on Sept. 28, 2014, when, according to the investigating entity, the communicator created an email from which […]
“President Gustavo Petro has signed today [Sept. 9] a directive that seeks to promote good practices and ethical conduct that align with the social and democratic responsibilities linked to the guarantee of freedom of expression and of the press. At the initiative of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on […]
“News and media organizations such as the Press Freedom Foundation (FLIP, for its acronym in Spanish) condemned Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday [Sept. 2] for calling women journalists 'mafia dolls' in yet another attack on the press. On Aug. 30, during the inauguration of the new ombudsman, Iris Marín, the president claimed that 'the […]
“The journalist and media professional Frank Caro remains hospitalized in critical condition at the Valle del Lili clinic in Cali, Colombia. [...] He was 'intercepted by two men who shot him. He arrived on his own and was assisted by the fire department and the national police in the municipality of Caloto. Still, due to […]
A court in Bogotá “has convicted José Miguel Narváez, former deputy director of the Administrative Department of Security (DAS), for the crime against humanity of aggravated and continuous torture suffered by journalist Claudia Julieta Duque. Narváez is the seventh person to be convicted in this case and has been identified by Duque as one of […]
“After months of tensions between the Colombian Presidency and the Press Freedom Foundation (FLIP, for its acronym in Spanish), President Gustavo Petro has met with three organization delegates. The meeting was also attended by an envoy of Reporters without Borders, the international organization that monitors press rights. The president, whose criticisms of the media and […]