In the wee hours of Wednesday, Aug. 12, a car bomb exploded in the financial district of Bogota, the capital of Colombia. The explosion, which did not kill anyone, occurred in front of a building complex that was home to Caracol Radio, one of the most important stations in the country, and the Spanish news agency EFE, reported the Associated Press and BBC.
Rodolfo Flórez, who has been missing since July 9, was found in Cali on Aug. 5 in good health, but confused and upset, reported the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) via IFEX.
Colombian Carina Solano Padilla received the Hellman/Hammett grant, from the organization Human Rights Watch, for journalists and writers who have faced political persecution, reported the news agency DPA.
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) questioned a proposed law that applies harsh sanctions to media outlets that publish content that affects minors.
The Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) reports that Rodolfo Flórez, a filmmaker and photographer from the port city of Buenaventura, disappeared 20 days ago.
In statements to prosecutors, an ex intelligence agency offical said that President Álvaro Uribe and several of his confidants knew about the Administrative Department of Security's (DAS) wiretaps and spying on journalists, judges, opposition leaders, and human rights activists. The incriminating testimony by the former director of DAS is the first that has directly connected the president to the spy scandal, El Nuevo Herald and La Silla Vacia report.
Renowned journalist Hollman Morris can now travel to the United States and attend Harvard University as a Nieman Fellow, after the Department of State decided to grant Morris the student visa that it had originally denied him, the Nieman Foundation reports.
Journalist Herbin Hoyos, of the program “Voices of Kidnapping” (Voces del Secuestro), was awarded the Tolerance Prize by the Community of Madrid for his fight for freedom and coexistence, EFE reports.
After two days in jail in Venezuela, two Colombian journalists from the television station RCN and two more from a regional station were deported, accused of illegally entering Venezuela, reported the Latin American Herald Tribune and El Tiempo.
In a show of international solidarity, journalism and human rights organizations from throughout the hemisphere are calling on the U.S. government to reverse its ban prohibiting renowned Colombian journalist Hollman Morris from entering the United States to take his place as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard.
The media has attacked the former presidential candidate for her multimillion dollar lawsuit (now withdrawn) against the government for the harm she suffered during her six-year stay as a FARC hostage, AFP reports.
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) has started a letter-writing campaign, asking the U.S. government to reverse its denial of a visa to Colombian television journalist Hollman Morris.