John Otis/CPJ Andean Representative

John Otis, CPJ's Andes correspondent for the Americas program, works as a correspondent for Time magazine and the Global Post. He authored the 2010 book Law of the Jungle, about U.S. military contractors kidnapped by Colombian rebels, and is based in Bogotá, Colombia.

Features & Analysis
On the evening of July 5, journalist Gustavo Chicangana Álvarez and his wife were leaving their home in San José del Guaviare when they were confronted by a man with a revolver. (Photo: John Otis)

The attempted murder of a veteran journalist stirs fear, defiance in Colombia 

Wanted Colombian rebel leader Aníbal Hernández Garavito was irate when he called into the local Es el Colmo (“It’s the last straw”) radio program at 5:48 a.m. on March 14, 2025. His voice raised, Hernández slammed the station’s critical coverage of his guerrilla group, but show host Gustavo Chicangana Álvarez refused to be bullied. Hernández, who had a  $13,000 bounty on…

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Features & Analysis
Colombian police officers stop a car at the Arauca City border. (Reuters)

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…

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