25 May 2005
FEARS FOR SAFETY OF THREATENED JOURNALISTS
IFEX members have urged Colombian authorities to boost efforts to ensure the safety of journalists in the country, following death threats against three well-known reporters. On 16 March 2005, funeral wreaths were sent to the homes and offices of Hollman Morris, Daniel Coronell and Carlos Lozano. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the threats.
Morris directs the highly acclaimed weekly television programme "Contravía", which addresses some of the most difficult and controversial issues raised by Colombia's internal armed conflict, reports Human Rights Watch. "Contravía" has provided in-depth coverage of the conflict, including atrocities committed by both right-wing paramilitaries and left-wing guerrillas.
Last year, Morris?s meticulous investigation of the 1999 assassination of fellow journalist Jaime Garzón brought to light new evidence later used by the court handling the case. Human Rights Watch has awarded a Hellman-Hammett grant to Morris in recognition of the risks he faces in covering human rights issues.
Coronell is the director of a widely watched news programme "Noticias Uno". He is also a columnist for the weekly news magazine "Semana". Lozano is the director of Colombia's communist newspaper "Voz".
Colombia's President, Alvaro Uribe, has condemned the threats and given orders to increase the journalists' security and investigate the threats. Lozano and Coronell are already under police protection, but Morris is not.
On 18 May, the journalists met with the Vice-President and representatives of the national police, the Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor General's Office. They were told that the government would provide them and their families with whatever protection was needed for them to continue their work. The Prosecutor General's Office agreed to have its human rights unit take charge of the investigation, with assistance from the national police.
Human Rights Watch, the Foundation for Press Freedom (Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa, FLIP), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Institute for Press and Society (Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, IPYS), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have condemned the threats and urged the government to show that it is serious about tackling threats and attacks against journalists.
Journalists and human rights advocates in Colombia are frequently targets of harassment, threats, and assassinations by armed groups and others for their work. According to FLIP, journalists work in a climate of fear and pervasive self-censorship.
This concern has been echoed by the Organization of American States' (OAS) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, who visited Colombia from 25 to 29 April 2005. Eduardo Bertoni says he observed an "environment of self-censorship among journalists and the media, as well as the persistent impunity registered in crimes against journalists."
Many journalists, especially those in rural areas, told Bertoni that they avoided publishing information on certain topics or changed their editorial line due to fear of retaliation. In many cases, authorities have made little progress on investigations into attacks on journalists. Bertoni has called on Colombian authorities to speed up investigations and to strengthen its measures to protect journalists.
Visit:
- Human Rights Watch Backgrounder: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/01/13/colomb9847.htm
- Joint Statement by FLIP, IPYS, IFJ & RSF: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=3144&Language=EN
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2005/Colombia18may05na.html
- OAS Rapporteur on Free Expression: http://www.cidh.org/Relatoria/showarticle.asp?artID=576&lID=1
- UN Report on Human Rights in Colombia: http://tinyurl.com/94q3e
Read IFEX Members' Reports on Colombia:
- CPJ:
http://www.cpj.org/attacks04/americas04/colombia.html
- RSF:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13215&Valider=OK
- International Press Institute: http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/Americas/colombia.htm
- Inter American Press Institute: http://www.sipiapa.org/pulications/report_colombia2005.cfm
- Freedom House: http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2004/countryratings/colombia.htm
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