22 March 2002

Alert

Head of paramilitary group being brought to trial for journalist's murder


Incident details

Jaime Garzón

journalist(s)

killed

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(IPYS/IFEX) - The Colombian Attorney General's Office is bringing to trial Carlos Castaño, head of the paramilitary group United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, AUC). He is accused of ordering the murder of journalist Jaime Garzón, who was killed on 13 August 1999. Also facing trial are Juan Pablo Ortiz Agudelo, alias "Bochas", and Edilberto Antonio Sierra Ayala, alias "Toño", alleged to have carried out the crime. Ortiz Agudelo and Sierra Ayala are thought to be linked to the gang of hired killers "La Terraza" in Medellín.


The Human Rights Department of the Attorney General's Office feels that it has found sufficient evidence against the accused. This strengthens the hypothesis that the paramilitary group carried out the murder and weakens other versions that have arisen about the case. However, the presiding attorney told IPYS' correspondent in Colombia that this does not mean that new leads will not be investigated as the case progresses.

This statement is particularly relevant because some have suggested that very viable hypotheses have been discarded by the Attorney General's office.

Evidence of this opinion is encapsulated in a December 2001 Inter American Press Association (IAPA) report on the eve of the Attorney General's Office's closure of the investigation. According to IAPA's report, the office did not give sufficient weight to different pieces of evidence suggesting that, in addition to Castaño, national army officers participated in planning the murder. The decision to only try Castaño, Ortiz Agudelo and Sierra Ayala may mean that some aspects of the case will remain unsolved.




Source:

Instituto Prensa y Sociedad
Sucre N° 317
Barranco, Lima
Perú
alertas (@) ipys.org
Phone: +51 1 2474465
Fax: +51 1 2473194
 

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Updates to this story

Carlos Castaño Gil convicted for murder of journalist Jaime Garzón 12 March 2004 RSF concerned over outcome in trial of journalist Jaime Garzón's killers 10 December 2003

More on this case

Colombian intelligence official held in journalist's murder 5 July 2010 IAPA deplores delay in solving murder of journalist 30 September 2009 IAPA calls for greater effort to solve murder of journalist Jaime Garzón 12 August 2009 Judicial proceedings against journalist Jaime Garzón's alleged killers continue 17 December 2002 RSF calls for new investigation in journalist Jaime Garzón's case 30 October 2002 Jaime Garzón murder case to be tried by a specialised court 28 October 2002 Controversial decision in Jaime Garzón murder case 26 September 2002 RSF and the Damocles Network will officially be part of the prosecution of journalist Jaime Garzón's killers 19 July 2002 IAPA asks for review of Garzón case 18 December 2001 Group of hitmen says that paramilitaries paid them to kill journalist Jaime Garzon 18 December 2000 CPJ expresses its sorrow over journalist's murder 16 August 1999 Journalist assassinated; RSF asks that a program to protect journalists who are threatened be set up 13 August 1999

Colombia

Journalist in Villavicencio, Meta, receives death threat 22 December 2011 FLIP concerned over actions against journalists in period leading up to elections 31 October 2011 See all alerts: Colombia


 
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