For journalists, cyber-security training slow to take hold
For centuries, journalists have been willing to go to prison to protect their sources. Back in 1848, New York Herald correspondent John Nugent spent a month in jail for refusing to tell a U.S. Senate committee his source for a leak exposing the secret approval of a treaty with Mexico. In a digital age, however,…
Colombian editor given suspended prison term
New York, October 13, 2011–A court in Cundinamarca state handed Luis Agustín González, founder and editor of Colombian monthly newspaper Cundinamarca Democrática, a 20-month suspended sentence and a fine of approximately US$5,500 on charges of criminal libel, news reports said today. The sentence stemmed from an editorial González wrote in 2008 that questioned the candidacy of…
Colombian journalists: between threats, exile
To be a journalist in Colombia, in a city like Medellín, is not easy — even less so if you cover issues related to narcotrafficking. Despite efforts by the authorities to control outbreaks of violence linked to drug trafficking, especially in the city’s poorest neighborhoods, the situation isn’t improving. According to the prosecutor’s office, Medellín…
Provincial Colombian journalist threatened
New York, October 5, 2011 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by threats made against Ana María Ferrer, a freelance Colombian journalist in the northern state of Cesar, who has denounced government corruption and the mishandling of mining royalties.
Colombian journalists in Arauca pressured from all sides
Although a long-running army offensive has improved security in much of Colombia, the oil-rich eastern province of Arauca remains a hot zone–for both combatants and journalists. This week, for example, the National Liberation Army (ELN), the smaller of the country’s two guerrilla groups, called a transportation strike, effectively shutting down traffic and commerce throughout the…
Uribe labels journalists “terrorism sympathizers”
New York, August 24, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about comments made by former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez that could endanger journalists Juan Forero and Claudia Julieta Duque and jeopardize press freedom in the country. Forero is the Washington Post’s Andean region correspondent and Duque is a journalist who works in Colombia.
Investigative journalist threatened in Colombia
Mary Luz Avendaño, a reporter for the Colombian daily El Espectador, was threatened on June 22, 2011, according to local news reports and CPJ interviews. Avendaño, the newspaper’s correspondent in the city of Medellín, had recently written two investigative pieces concerning narcotraffickers and their connections with the local police.
Provincial journalist shot to death in Colombia
New York, July 5, 2011–Luis Eduardo Gómez, a Colombian freelance journalist who was a witness for an investigation into links between politicians and paramilitary groups, was shot and killed on Thursday in the town of Arboletes, in the northwestern province of Antioquia, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Colombian authorities…
Death threats force Colombian reporter to relocate
I was on assignment in a slum in the town of Aguachica, Cesar Province, on February 24 when gunmen cut me off and threatened to kill me. “Journalist, shut up or die,” said one of the men, who identified themselves as members of “Los Urabeños,” a criminal gang that operates in Cesar and neighboring provinces.…