Restrepo, a community radio station director, was shot dead in northwestern Colombia. Government investigators told CPJ that he was apparently murdered in retaliation for his sharp criticisms of the local administration.
Restrepo, 26, had headed Radio Galaxia Estéreo in Sevilla, a village in the municipality of Ebejico, for the last one-and-a-half years. He was also chairman of the village council, which owned the radio station.
On October 31, the murderer summoned Restrepo to a meeting in the nearby village of Aragón. Restrepo’s brother drove him to the rendezvous on a motorbike and actually witnessed the killing. He declined to make a statement to the authorities and went into hiding, according to a relative.
Restrepo was shot at least five times, once through the head, according to a local source who did not wish to be identified. The source told CPJ that Restrepo presented a variety of music shows on Galaxia but claimed he had not been involved in news-gathering and had never had any problems with local right-wing paramilitary groups as a result of his work at the radio station or on the village council. But a government investigator based in the area said initial inquiries showed Restrepo had used his radio broadcasts to discuss several cases of alleged corruption by officials in Ebejico.
Restrepo completed two years of a five-year university degree program in communications studies in Medellín. He worked initially doing odd jobs and later as a presenter in the Medellín studios of the nationwide RCN radio network before returning to his home village of Sevilla.