(IPYS/IFEX) – On 12 January 2004, a day after the murder of radio journalist Julio Palacios, reporter Jorge Corredor, of the Cúcuta-based La Voz del Norte radio station, received a death threat. Cúcuta is located in Norte de Santander department, northeastern Colombia. At about 10:15 a.m. (local time), Caracol radio station in the city of […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 12 January 2004, a day after the murder of radio journalist Julio Palacios, reporter Jorge Corredor, of the Cúcuta-based La Voz del Norte radio station, received a death threat. Cúcuta is located in Norte de Santander department, northeastern Colombia.
At about 10:15 a.m. (local time), Caracol radio station in the city of Medellín, Antioquia department, received a phone call in which, according to the station’s managers, a person who identified himself as a member of a paramilitary group said, “After Palacios, the next journalist on the list is Julio Corredor.” They were unable to determine the origin of the call or record it. The Caracol station personnel immediately called their Cúcuta affiliate to warn Corredor about the threat.
On 22 April 2004, Corredor survived an attempt on his life. Although he was not harmed, his 20-year-old stepdaughter Livy Sierra Maldonado, was shot and killed. The assassins arrived at Corredor’s home pretending to be interested in buying his house (see IFEX alert of 27 April 2004).
Corredor, the director of La Voz de Norte’s “El Pregón del Norte” news programme, is known for his reporting on corruption cases. After several months away, he recently returned to Cúcuta.
In 2004, Cúcuta registered the highest number of attacks on press freedom. The authorities have not yet determined who is behind the attacks.
