Foundation for Press Freedom – FLIP

(FLIP/IFEX) – Fernando Marimón, director of the news programme “Mundial”, which airs on Radio Vigía de Todelar station, in Cartagena, northern Colombia, said he has been the target of “political violence.” On 25 September 2003, while his programme was on the air, Marimón received a telephone call, which was answered by his colleague, Femberto Muñoz […]

(FLIP/IFEX) – Several municipalities in Valle, Cauca and Nariño departments have been without public television service since 23 September 2003, following the destruction of the National Radio and Television Institute’s (Instituto Nacional de Radio y Televisión, Inravisión) relay tower. National and regional newspapers have reported that the tower was blown up by members of the […]

(FLIP/IFEX) – On 18 August 2003, camera operator Jorge Real Castilla, of the RCN television station in Valledupar (a city on Colombia’s north coast), was assaulted by members of La Popa battalion. The journalist was reporting on the death of alleged members of the ELN guerrilla group and the seizure of military equipment. A battalion […]

(FLIP/IFEX) – The following is a 1 August 2003 FLIP press release: Expression of opinion becomes a crime in Colombia? The Prosecutor’s Office has initiated proceedings against Roberto Posada (D’artagnan), a columnist for El Tiempo newspaper, for comments published in his column in connection with businessman Pedro Juan Moreno Villa. The case has reopened the […]

(FLIP/IFEX) – The State Council’s third section has ratified a previous ruling against the Administrative Department for Security (Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad, DAS) for having distributed false information to media outlets. The original ruling ordered the DAS to compensate Gilberto Márquez Henao for the impact the erroneous information had on his “personal and social life.” […]

(FLIP/IFEX) – Based on evidence and witness testimonies, the Attorney General’s Office has linked Barrancabermeja Mayor Julio Ardila and three municipal officials to the 6 April 2003 murder of journalist José Emeterio Rivas. Finance Secretary Juan Pablo Ariza, Infrastructure Secretary Fabio Pajón Lizcano and the manager of a business development entity, Abelardo Rueda Tobón, were […]

(FLIP/IFEX) – On 21 June 2003, journalist Yesenia Ayala and camera operator Guillermo Gómez, of the Enlace Diez Televisión station, in the eastern port city of Barrancabermeja, were physically and verbally assaulted during a demonstration by the Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) labour union. According to information provided by Ayala, during a confrontation between security forces […]

(FLIP/IFEX) – Journalist Adonai Cárdenas, a correspondent for the Calí-based daily “El País”, in Buenaventura, western Colombia, has been receiving threats since one his articles, entitled “La muerte paseo oronda por el puerto”, appeared in the daily on 2 April 2003. In the article, Cárdenas provides an overview of the tense situation in the pacific […]