Latin America takes steps against criminal defamation
In an encouraging development, three courts in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Chile have recently followed the growing regional consensus against criminal defamation by dismissing criminal penalties against journalists accused of libel and slander.The newsweekly magazine Semana reported that a piece written by Alfredo Molano, at left, in the op-ed pages of the Bogota-based daily El Espectador in February 2007 described how…
Attacks on the Press in 2008: Colombia
Deadly violence in Colombia eased for the second consecutive year as no journalists were killed in direct relation to their work. Colombian authorities cited increased security throughout the country as the cause for the recent decline in news media deaths, but journalists said widespread self-censorship had made the press less of a target. Even so,…
FARC declares Colombian media a military target
Four hostages released this weekend by Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) said at a press conference on Monday that the leftist guerrilla group had declared the Colombian media a “military target,” according to Colombian and international news reports. The statement stirred a heated debate among Colombian journalists over coverage of guerrilla groups.
In Colombia, CPJ rejects criminal defamation suit against Alfredo Molano
We issued the following statement today after learning that a criminal defamation suit had been brought against Colombian writer and journalist Alfredo Molano:”We are alarmed by the criminal defamation suit brought by a politically influential family against Alfredo Molano over a column in the daily El Espectador,” said Carlos Lauria, CPJ’s Americas senior program coordinator.…
Attacks on the Press 1999: Colombia
In a year that saw both an escalation of Colombia’s armed conflict and a tentative beginning of peace negotiations, the press found itself in the crosshairs of nearly every party to the increasingly complicated civil war. Five journalists were killed in the line of duty, while scores of others were threatened, attacked, or kidnapped. Colombian…
Colombia: Mysterious hate pamphlet includes three journalists on enemies list
Your Excellency, The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to urge you to investigate the provenance of a pamphlet containing threats against journalists and other intellectuals that started circulating in the streets of Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín earlier this month. The pamphlet, signed “Colombian Rebel Army (ERC),” accuses 21 intellectuals, among them three journalists, of being enemies of Colombia’s peace process. The pamphlet reads: “These sinister figures feed the war between Colombians, foment hatred and class struggle, live off the war … They will pay for the destruction of the peace process.”
Colombia: Sad end for political humorist
August 13, 1999 His Excellency Andrés Pastrana Arango President of the Republic of Colombia Casa de Narino Santa Fe de Bogotá, COLOMBIA Your Excellency, The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to express its deep sorrow over today’s cold-blooded murder of radio journalist Jaime Garzón, one of Colombia’s most popular political humorists. CPJ urges…