The Committee to Protect Journalists joined the Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP), a Colombian press freedom organization, in issuing a statement on October 4 expressing concern for the safety of journalist Daniel Coronell.
On September 28, in his weekly column in Colombia’s Semana magazine, Coronell released audio of a conversation between Diego Cadena, an attorney for former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, and Álvaro Cadena, his brother. In the audio, the brothers say they will “throw the son of a bitch [Coronell] a party,” which the journalist interpreted in his column as a threat. Coronell, who lives in the U.S., is a longtime critic of the former president, and has faced legal harassment and surveillance efforts by Uribe and his allies, according to CPJ reporting.
In the statement, CPJ and FLIP call on authorities to investigate threats and attempts at intimidation against Coronell by Cadena and others affiliated with the former president.
The statement can be viewed here.