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…
Brazilian police threaten Dutch and Colombian journalists in the Amazon
In February 2023, Dutch journalist Bram Ebus, Colombian videographer Andrés Cardona, and Colombian photographer Alex Rufino, were threatened by the military police of Japurá in the Brazilian state of Amazonas while reporting on illegal mining in the Amazon region as part of Amazon Underworld, an investigative project on crime and corruption in the region. …
Venezuelan authorities detain NTN24 reporting team covering conflict near Colombia border
Miami, April 1, 2021 — Venezuelan authorities should immediately release NTN24 staffers Luis Gonzalo Pérez and Rafael Hernández and ensure that members of the media can work without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about 12:30 p.m. yesterday, Venezuelan National Guard officers detained Pérez, a reporter, and Hernández, a camera…
Colombian TV station employees flee country amid threats from FARC militants
Bogotá, Colombia, December 7, 2020 – Colombian authorities should thoroughly investigate death threats received by Caracol TV employees and ensure they can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 16, Arlex Piedrahita, a camera operator with the news broadcaster Caracol TV, fled to the United States with his family after he…
In Colombia, a shipping container on wheels brings a roving reporting workshop to news deserts
Can the key to ending news blackouts in isolated areas of Colombia come from inside a shipping container? The Bogotá-based Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) thinks so. In an experiment to turn community activists into reporters in regions that lack local news outlets, FLIP has converted a shipping container into a roving journalism classroom. For…
Killing of radio journalist highlights dangers for local reporters in Colombia’s border region
The otherwise Spartan studio of Samaniego Stereo is adorned by a white banner emblazoned with the image of Libardo Montenegro, a veteran reporter for the community radio station in southern Colombia who was shot dead on June 11. Under his photo are the words: “You will live in our hearts forever.”
New York Times journalist Casey leaves Colombia after online harassment by lawmakers
Miami, May 20, 2019– The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Colombian lawmakers to cease their harassment of New York Times Andes Bureau Chief Nicholas Casey and local press freedom organization, Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), and to ensure that journalists can report safely in the country.
Colombian president tells CPJ he will prioritize combating impunity in anti-press attacks
Bogotá, Colombia, May 27, 2015–In a meeting on Tuesday with the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Colombian press freedom group Foundation for a Free Press, or FLIP, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos pledged to prioritize combating impunity in attacks against the press.
One Province Illustrates Colombia’s Struggle with Impunity
The inability to solve journalist murders in Arauca feeds an atmosphere of hostility and intimidation for the media there. By John Otis Gen. Rodolfo Palomino, Colombian police chief, writes a message for a campaign supporting FARC demobilization in Tame, Arauca province, on September 18, 2013. (Reuters/Jose Miguel Gomez)
Letter bomb sent to home of Colombian journalist
Bogotá, Colombia, March 11, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Colombian authorities to investigate an attack on a journalist who had denounced political corruption and the activities of leftist guerrilla groups in the region. Juan David Betancur received a letter bomb in the mail on Thursday that failed to explode and did not injure…