November 17, 1999
His Excellency Andrés Pastrana Arango
President of the Republic of Colombia
Casa de Nariño
Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to express its outrage over Sunday’s bomb attack on the Cali office of the Bogotá-based daily El Tiempo. We urge you ensure that this attack on press freedom is fully investigated and its authors duly punished.
At 10:30 p.m. on November 14, a white van pulled up to a bus stop in front of El Tiempo‘s offices in northern Cali. A man got out and left a five-kilo explosive device at the bus stop. The bomb exploded a few seconds later, injuring three employees and causing considerable damage to the El Tiempo office, as well as to surrounding homes.
Two groups have claimed responsibility for the bombing: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the previously unknown “Colombian Patriotic Resistance.” Police say the National Liberation Army (ELN) is also a suspect.
CPJ is deeply alarmed at the rapid escalation of attacks on the press in your country. Since August, three Colombian journalists have been assassinated in reprisal for their work. The recent bomb attack comes in the wake of FARC and ELN kidnappings of a total of 15 journalists, the last of whom was freed on the day of the bomb attack.
Once again, CPJ asks you to ensure that respect for the safety of journalists be placed on the agenda in the current peace negotiations, so that Colombian journalists may do their jobs without being targeted by the various factions in your country’s civil war.
On November 4, Colombian editors signed an agreement in which they promised responsible coverage of the armed conflict. According to the agreement, the media “want to contribute to the achievement of peace, the respect for life, and the search of the common good.” We call on Your Excellency to help create a climate in which it is possible for Colombian journalists to make this vital contribution.
Thank you for your attention to these urgent matters. We await your reply.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
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Send a letter to:
His Excellency Andrés Pastrana Arango
President of the Republic of Colombia
Casa de Nariño
Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia