(FLIP/IFEX) – On 22 January 2005, 64-year-old photojournalist Hernán Echeverri Arboleda, who works with “Urabá Hoy” newspaper, was kidnapped. The kidnapping appears to have been carried out by members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC) guerrilla group and took place on the road between the Dabeiba and Mutatá […]
(FLIP/IFEX) – On 22 January 2005, 64-year-old photojournalist Hernán Echeverri Arboleda, who works with “Urabá Hoy” newspaper, was kidnapped. The kidnapping appears to have been carried out by members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC) guerrilla group and took place on the road between the Dabeiba and Mutatá municipalities, in Urabá, northwestern Colombia.
Echeverri Arboleda had travelled to Mutatá to promote and distribute “Urabá Hoy”. After finishing his work, he was driving to Medellín when he was stopped and kidnapped at an illegal roadblock. The reporter’s brother, Eliseo Echeverri, told FLIP that the vehicle may have been shot at as there was a bullet hole in one of the back tires.
In discussions with FLIP, “Urabá Hoy” editor Jairo Banquett said the kidnapping took place between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. (local time). This information was confirmed by Brigadier General Héctor Fandiño, commander of the army’s XVII Brigade, and by a local businessman who met Echeverri Arboleda on the road at about 4:30 p.m. Banquett added that Echeverri Arboleda decided to travel by land as there was a strong army presence in the area.
Monseñor Germán García Isaza, of the Urabá diocese, condemned the kidnapping and offered the services of the diocese to mediate in any possible negotiations to free Echeverri Arboleda. Eliseo Echeverri said that, according to General Fandiño, there had been fighting in the area between the army and the FARC in an attempt to free his brother.
Hernán Echeverri Arboleda began working with Banquett on “Urabá Hoy” after retiring from his work with the National Distance Education Service (Servicio de Educación Nacional a Distancia, SENA) in Apartadó. According to Banquett, “Urabá Hoy” published its ninth edition in December. He said the paper had no political leanings and was dedicated to publishing general information about the region.
FLIP will continue to investigate whether Echeverri Arboleda’s kidnapping is directly related to his work with “Urabá Hoy”. The organisation is calling on the authorities to conduct an investigation in order to identify those responsible and determine the motives for the kidnapping.
