Colombia

25 May 2016 is the second national day in Colombia that recognizes women survivors of sexual violence during the internal conflict. This year IFEX takes a look at how journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima, whose case is emblematic of the lack of justice and respect afforded to victims, and local organisations are working to raise the voices of survivors who will not be silenced.

Javier Osuna has been the victim of information thefts, break-in attempts and intimidation. All while being ‘protected’ by Colombia’s UNP.

This was a decision made by the journalist and motivated by the vast contradictions in the authorities’ treatment of her case. There is public recognition of her struggle for justice, but the State does not accept any responsibility for what happened to her.

This week FLIP accompanied journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima to an IACHR hearing on her case to urge the Colombian government to guarantee, within the framework of judicial processes taking place in the country, that justice is served.

A new illegal spying scandal in Colombia involving the National Police has brought about the resignation of the Chief of the National Police, set off an investigation by the country’s Inspector General and brought the issue of illegal surveillance by Colombian authorities back into the national discussion.

A trial has started in Colombia which has no precedent anywhere in the world. Journalist Claudia Julieta Duque will testify in the trial against three members of the now-disbanded Administrative Department of Security (DAS), who are accused of having tortured her psychologically.

After more than 15 years of absolute impunity, the judicial proceedings that followed the torture, kidnapping and sexual violence that Jineth Bedoya was subject to in May 2000 have resulted in a sentence for Alejandro Cárdenas Calderón, alias J.J.

Recent claims of reporters being spied on and government agencies buying advanced surveillance technology has raised questions about Colombia’s commitment to ending abusive practices.

The Foundation for Press Freedom views the decision of the Attorney General’s Office as appropriate, taking into consideration that both of the accused men have provided contradictory statements in their accounts relating to the case.

Fifteen years after the brutal attack on the investigative journalist, and following many legal delays, Mario Jaimes Mejía has confessed, and recognized that the crimes he was charged with are crimes against humanity.

“Media pluralism is a cornerstone of any diverse and open society and for this reason, high concentration of media ownership – as we see it here in Colombia – puts democracy and freedom of opinion at risk,” says Christian Mihr, Executive Director of the German section of Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Courts in Bogotá had planned to proceed with simultaneous hearings in cases involving crimes against journalists Jaime Garzón and Jineth Bedoya.

The Inter American Press Association condemns the murders in recent days of journalists in Brazil and Colombia and urged those countries’ authorities to investigate in depth.

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) welcomes the IACHR decision to submit the case of Nelson Carvajal Carvajal to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and expresses confidence that justice will finally be done in the case.

The Foundation for Freedom of the Press argues that cases regarding violence against journalists should not be prolonged. Jineth Bedoya has waited for 15 years for the trial to start.

Repeated DAS threats to journalist Claudia Duque and her family began in 2001 after her investigative reporting shed light on the involvement of the intelligence services in journalist Jaime Garzón’s murder in Bogotá in 1999.