(FLIP/IFEX) – On 18 May 2004, several journalists and media workers from local and international media outlets were assaulted by police and protesters during demonstrations against Free Trade Agreement (Tratado de Libre Comercio, TLC) negotiations in Cartagena, northern Colombia. Journalist Aníbal Terán and photographer Oscar Díaz, of the Cartagena-based weekly “El Universal”, were assaulted by […]
(FLIP/IFEX) – On 18 May 2004, several journalists and media workers from local and international media outlets were assaulted by police and protesters during demonstrations against Free Trade Agreement (Tratado de Libre Comercio, TLC) negotiations in Cartagena, northern Colombia.
Journalist Aníbal Terán and photographer Oscar Díaz, of the Cartagena-based weekly “El Universal”, were assaulted by anti-riot police when they refused to hand over photographs they had taken during the demonstration.
Díaz had taken photographs of police officers confiscating merchandise from a street vendor. Other police officers approached the photographer, then physically and verbally assaulted him while telling him to hand over the photographs. Terán attempted to intervene on behalf of his colleague, mentioning that they were working as journalists. The police ignored Terán and instead shot him with a rubber bullet. He was bruised in the abdomen and on his left leg. He also suffered injuries to his right arm during the incident.
Wilfred Arias, a correspondent for the Barranquilla-based “El Heraldo” newspaper, was also injured by police officers after taking photographs of attacks on demonstrators. Several police officers tried to attack Arias, but he managed to escape. He was, however, injured in his right ankle when the police fired rubber bullets at him.
The Cartagena police chief, Colonel Jesús Antonio Gómez Méndez, told FLIP that police have initiated an internal investigation into the excesses committed by some anti-riot police officers against journalists and demonstrators.
In a separate incident, Ronald Rodríguez, a correspondent for Noticias RCN, and his camera operator, Gerardo Solano, were verbally and physically assaulted by demonstrators. Solano was injured and his equipment was damaged when the demonstrators threw rocks at him. Journalist Alberto Julio Ordóñez and camera operator Emiro Flerez, of the CM& news station, were also attacked and their camera was damaged in an altercation that took place after they filmed demonstrators as they were destroying a number of bus stops. Ordóñez was attacked with a sharp object, but was not seriously injured.
Correspondent Javier Galeano, of the Associated Press international news agency, was struck in the head by a rock during the demonstrations.
Bolívar Regional Ombudsman Arturo Zea spoke out against the assaults on the members of the press in Cartagena.
