(IPYS/IFEX) – On the night of Saturday 26 April 2001, John Portela, journalist and head of communications for the Bogotá Mayor’s Office, was shot in the face while he was in the northern part of the city accompanying an actress. The incident occurred in front of an apartment building, apparently the home of actress Estefanía […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On the night of Saturday 26 April 2001, John Portela, journalist and head of communications for the Bogotá Mayor’s Office, was shot in the face while he was in the northern part of the city accompanying an actress.
The incident occurred in front of an apartment building, apparently the home of actress Estefanía Gomez, member of the cast of the soap opera “Yo soy Betty la fea”.
The journalist was inside a vehicle waiting for his companion when a man approached him and shot him in the face. According to witnesses, the assailant fled on a motorcycle which was driven by another individual.
The commander of the Metropolitan Police, General Jorge Enrique Linares, stated that at the time of the attack the journalist was alone and seated in the driver’s seat. Nevertheless, other versions suggest that the actress had been with him.
Gomez took the journalist to the Fundacion Santa Fe clinic, where he underwent a tracheotomy. The medics noted that the bullet was lodged a few millimetres from Portela’s aorta artery.
The mayor’s private secretary, Alicia Eugenia Silva, said that it is a miracle that Portela, who is in the intensive care unit, is alive. Before the operation, Silva was able to speak with the journalist who told her, “This can’t be happening to me!”
According to a witness, the actress was on the scene during the incident. The witness said that a man wearing a yellow and blue shirt approached Portela and Gomez and began talking to them.
IPYS’ correspondent in Colombia reported that the authorities have two hypotheses as to the motive for the assault. One is that this was a case of attempted car robbery and the second that is was a crime motivated by jealousy.
On 3 May, investigators from the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Security Administration Department (Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad, DAS) heard Gomez’s testimony, which will be key in identifying the man who shot Portela.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
– calling for an investigation into the motives for the attack on Portela, so that those responsible are identified and captured
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
Andrés Pastrana Arango
President of the Republic
Carrera 8 No. 7-26, Bogotá
Fax: +571 336 21 09 / 286 79 37 / 286 74 34
E-mail: pastrana@presidencia.gov.co
Alfonso Gomez Méndez
Attorney General
Diagonal 22B No. 52-01
Fax: +571 570 20 00, ext. 1587
E-mail: contacto@fiscalia.gov.co
Senator Gabriel Zapata
President of the Senate’s Human Rights Committee
Carrera 7 No. 8-68, Oficina 707, edificio nuevo del Congreso
Fax: +571 350 1031
E-mail: zapatagei@senado.gov.co
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
