Colombia

(CPJ/IFEX) – Leftist guerrillas abducted seven journalists who they had invited to cover alleged atrocities committed by paramilitary forces against local farmers. The seven journalists were intercepted on 29 October 1999 by members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). This is the second Colombian media kidnapping in less than a week. Reuters photographer […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – On the afternoon of 26 October 1999, Colombian leftist rebels kidnapped Henry Romero, a freelance photographer who works regularly for Reuters. The rebels said Romero would be put on “trial” for revealing the identity of one of their regional commanders in a photograph. Members of the José María Becerra unit of the National […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ has expressed its profound indignation about the 21 October 1999 brutal murder of radio journalist Rodolfo Julio Torres, in the town of San Onofre, Sucre Department. CPJ has urged President Andrés Pastrana Arango in the strongest possible terms to launch an exhaustive investigation into this lethal attack on press freedom, the third […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – In a letter to President Pastrana, CPJ has condemned the 16 September 1999 murder of Guzmán Quintero Torres, editor-in-chief of the daily “El Pilon” in Valledupar, capital of the northern Cesar Department. The president was urged to ensure that those responsible for this heinous crime are brought to justice. At about 10 p.m. […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Attorney General Alfonso Gomez Méndez, Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general, “is expressing his indignation over the 16 September 1999 assassination of Guzmán Quintero Torres.” Ménard has asked the attorney general to “assign the investigation to the Human Rights Department, that is under his administration” and “to keep him informed of […]

(CJFE/IFEX) – CJFE has learned from the Foundation for Press Freedom (Fundacion para la Libertad de Prensa), that journalist Guzmán Quintero Torres, 34 years old, was assassinated on 16 September 1999, at approximately 10:00 p.m. (local time). A photographer and a reporter from the “El Pilon” periodical were accompanying Quintero Torres to his house and […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is urging the attorney general to investigate the provenance of a pamphlet containing threats against journalists and other intellectuals that started circulating in the streets of Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín earlier this month. **For background on the Molano case see IFEX alerts of 26 July and 23 June 1999; for background on […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ has expressed its deep sorrow over the 13 August 1999 cold-blooded murder of radio journalist Jaime Garzon, one of Colombia’s most popular political humorists. CPJ urged President Andrés Pastrana Arango to ensure a thorough investigation into this killing is carried out. **Updates IFEX alert of 13 August 1999** At 6 a.m. (local […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Colombian President Andrés Pastrana, RSF expresses its indignation over the assassination of Jaime Garzon and urges him to use his influence to ensure that the investigation identifies those responsible for the attack. RSF further asks that the investigation be entrusted to the sub-unit that investigates journalists’ homicides, namely the […]

(IPYS/IFEX) – Carlos Pulgarín, a correspondent with “El Tiempo” newspaper in the city of Montería, department of Cordoba, was forced to leave the region because of death threats he received in late June 1999. He was threatened after reporting on the armed confrontation between the Colombian Army, the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a 23 June 1999 letter to Colombian President Andrés Pastrana, RSF expressed concern over the situation of freedom of the press in Colombia. Since 1995, 18 journalists have been assassinated, 9 media outlets have been the victims of bombings or attempted bombings, 20 media professionals have been kidnapped, at least 15 others […]

(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 6 May 1999 IAPA press release: **Updates IFEX alerts of 19 October, 16 June, 23 March, 4 February 1998, 21 November and 21 March 1997** Bogotá, 6 May An IAPA high level mission met with President Andrés Pastrana and high level officials of the Colombian government, to express their […]

(WiPC/IFEX) – WiPC is concerned for the safety of Colombian editor Gerardo Rivas Moreno. According to recent reports, an anonymous death threat was delivered to Moreno in January that read “you are the object of a death squad” in cut-out magazine letters. The note was signed by the paramilitary force, United Self-Defense Group of Colombia […]

(IFJ/IFEX) – Journalist Wilson Lozano and cameraman Henry Duran Padilla of the Colombian NTC news agency were subject to a terrorist attack, while covering an antinarcotics operation, in San Pablo, in the southern part of the Bolivar department in Colombia. The event occurred on 11 April 1999. The journalists were travelling in a National Police […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – According to CPJ’s information, journalist Manuel Vicente Peña Gomez was detained on 5 March 1999 for failure to pay the bail granted to him in relation to criminal defamation charges. CPJ was informed by its sources that three detectives of the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI), which falls under the Attorney General’s responsibility, came […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – El CPJ condena las sanciones administrativas aplicadas a Radio Caracol que podrían resultar en el cierre durante tres días de la emisora y en la suspension de los programas vendidos a otras emisoras nacionales e internacionales. Las sanciones, ordenadas por el Ministerio de Comunicaciones, surgieron a raíz de un incidente ocurrido el 18 […]