Threats against journalists on the rise in Colombia
By Ronnie Lovler
While threats against journalists in Colombia from leftist guerillas appear to be dwindling, new pressures coming from right-wing paramilitaries and criminal groups, or bacrim, keep Colombia in the spotlight as one of the most dangerous countries to do journalism
“The principal problem for journalists is the “bacrim,” said Andres Morales, Executive Director of IMS’ partner in Colombia, the Foundation for Press Freedom or FLIP. “In the regions, (outside of Bogotá) journalists are simply afraid to report what they know.”
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC has apparently steered clear of attacks on journalists in recent months as it continues peace talks with the government of Juan Manuel Santos in Havana, Cuba. In late May, the two sides announced a major breakthrough with an agreement on land reform.
Paramilitaries and the “bacrim”
Paramilitary groups seem to want nothing to do with peace or land reform and are stepping up attacks against the press.
In early May, the paramilitary Anti-Land Restitution Army in the department of Cesar threatened eight journalists in the regional capital of Valledupar for their reports on government efforts to return land to war victims.
Nearby, in northern Antioquia, the bacrim are busy trafficking drugs, extorting businesses and threatening journalists. In a recent visit, John Otis, of the Committee to Protect Journalists, found that journalists have simply stopped digging for news as a question of survival.
Journalist Rober Nieto from Caucasia, a municipality located in the subregion of the Bajo Cauca Antioquia department, told Otis “investigative journalism is off limits. We need to have good journalism, but it’s dangerous to write about alliances between local authorities and the bacrim.”
2013 in numbers
This year, 33 journalists have been targeted so far; 12 in May alone, including a columnist for the prestigious news weekly, Semana, who survived an assassination attempt.
Ricardo Calderón was driving back from a trip to Ibagúe, where he was investigating a story about military abuses, when his car was fired upon five times.
In the city of Cali in western Colombia, journalist Alberto Lazaro del Valle was gunned down and killed in mid-May as he left the radio station where he worked.
The government National Protection Unit (NPU) said it has uncovered a plot by an organized crime group to kill three more journalists, one of who is also a columnist for the leading Colombian magazine Semana.
They are Gonzalo Guillén, an investigative journalist and political analysts León Valencia and Ariel Ávila. Giullén, also writes for Semana. The three are now receiving NPU protection along with 87 other Colombian journalists.
“Committing acts of violence against journalists is not a new phenomenon, but that doesn’t mean the recent (events) are not alarming,” said Fabio Posada, head of the investigative unit of El País de Cali, one of Bogota’s leading newspapers. Posada said 140 journalists have been killed on the job in the past four decades.
“The high degree of impunity sends a message, to society, especially to criminals; that journalists are not important. You can kill them and nothing happens,” said El País’ Posada. “This has to stop. More horrible than death itself is the sensation that your life doesn’t matter to anyone.”
Human rights and journalists
Colombia’s Center for Education and Popular Education (CINEP) said in a recent news conference there were 2,198 human rights violations in Colombia last year, with at least 10 political killings a week.
Father Javier Giraldo, who heads CINEP’s data bank, said paramilitary groups are responsible for most of the violations.
“Paramilitarism has a long story in Colombia. Sometimes there are more incidents, sometimes there are less, but it doesn’t go away,” said Giraldo. “And like every other class and group in Colombia, journalists are impacted.”
In early June, the Colombian Red Cross will be training a group of journalists in safety and survival techniques in the field, a reflection of the troubling times.
IMS remains on the job in Colombia and other Latin American countries to improve the safety of journalists. Earlier this year, IMS co-supported a conference in Barrancabermeja, Colombia that brought together journalists from Colombia, Mexico and Honduras to discuss journalist security concerns.
Like a light going out
But still self-censorship keeps most journalists in Colombia’s regions from reporting about anything of substance, and for some this may be the biggest danger.
Maria Teresa Ronderos, founder of the website, “Verdad Abierta,” that reports on Colombia’s armed conflict, describes the effect of self-censorship as akin to “putting out a light.
“The counterpoint to the right of a free press is the right of a society to be informed. “And when journalists are afraid to report it’s like turning off a switch,” she said.
