Colombian journalist killed following capture by rebels
Bogotá, May 8, 2026—Colombian authorities must thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Mateo Pérez Rueda, determine if he was targeted for his work, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Pérez was last seen at around 4 p.m. on May 5 near the town of Briceño in Antioquia department in northwest Colombia…
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…
Bomb attack damages independent media outlet’s headquarters in Colombia
Bogotá, Colombia —The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Colombian authorities to take comprehensive steps to ensure the safety of RCN media employees after a reported bomb attack on the outlet’s headquarters in the western city of Cali, and bring those responsible to account. Authorities told local outlets that a device, believed to be a grenade, exploded at…
Colombian journalist Óscar Gómez Agudelo shot dead at radio station
Bogotá, January 30, 2025—Colombian authorities must swiftly complete their investigation into the killing of journalist Óscar Gómez Agudelo, who was fatally shot as he entered his office on Friday, January 24, at the community radio station Rumba del Café in the western Colombian city of Armenia, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. “The special prosecutor appointed to investigate the killing…
CPJ joins mission documenting human rights situation ahead of presidential elections in El Salvador
Ahead of the February 4 presidential elections in El Salvador, CPJ joined a coalition of press freedom organizations in a mission to document the rights situation of journalists to ensure they could carry out their work without fear. The coalition, which included Article 19 Mexico and Central America, Protection International Mesoamerica, Reporters Without Borders (RSF),…
Colombian journalist Mardonio Mejía Mendoza shot dead at home
Bogotá, January 29, 2024 — Colombian authorities must thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Mardonio Mejía Mendoza, determine if he was targeted for his work, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Wednesday, January 24, a gunman shot and killed Mejía, founder and director of the independent Sonora Estero…
Former state security agent convicted in torture of Colombian journalist Claudia Julieta Duque
New York, November 28, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists strongly supports a Bogotá superior district court’s November decision to convict a former Colombian state security agent of aggravated torture against journalist Claudia Julieta Duque. “We welcome this overdue conviction as a necessary victory against impunity in crimes against journalists in Colombia,” said Carlos Martínez de…
Colombian editor Estefanía Colmenares receives death threats after political exposé
Bogotá, September 11, 2023—Colombian authorities must thoroughly investigate a death threat against journalist Estefanía Colmenares, ensure her safety, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On September 6, Colmenares, editor of the independent La Opinión newspaper in the northern city of Cúcuta, received a threat from an unidentified number…
Rafael Emiro Moreno, Colombian journalist under government protection, killed in Córdoba
Bogotá, October 19, 2022—Colombian authorities must thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Rafael Emiro Moreno, determine if he was targeted for his work, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. About 7:10 p.m. on Sunday, October 16, in the northern town of Montelíbano, two men aboard a motorcycle fatally…
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering 2021 mass protests in Colombia
Violent and deadly protests have flared in urban centers across Colombia since April 28, 2021, including Bogotá, the capital, as well as Cali, Medellín, Pereira, Bucaramanga, Ibagué, Zipaquirá, and Buenaventura, according to news reports. Initially sparked by President Iván Duque’s proposed tax reforms–which were later dropped–protests have since morphed into a wider movement against poverty,…