Hearing canceled at IACHR for the murder of journalist Silvia Duzán

The impunity of this crime placed in IACHR high expectations over the failure of the colombian authorities to investigate and punish the guilty parties over the past 26 years. The cancelation of this hearing undermined these expectations in this emblematic case of violation of press freedom.

The FLIP calls colombian government to respect its international commitments and to treat the cases of violence against journalists wherin arises the probable responsability of the Colombian State.

Silvia Duzán has been murdered on february 26th of 1990 by paramilitaries of the criminal group of Puerto Boyacá in Cimitarra, in the region of Santander. At 9pm, two armed men broke in the building in which was the journalist and opened fire. Along with her were killed also three farmer leaders of the Association of Agricol Workers of the Carare (ATCC) : Josué Vargas, Saúl Castañeda and Miguel Ángel Barajas. Barajas was columnist for Vanguardia Liberal and was realizing reports about Magdalena Medio region. Duzán worked at that time for a documentary for Canal 4 in London, which was interested in the peaceful resistance of the Cimitarra's farmers. After the events, ATCC was granted the Alternative Nobel peace prize.

Here are the cases uner study by the IACHR for violence against the press in Colombia :

– Guillermo Cano : murdered in Bogotá on December 17th, 1986.

– Silvia Duzán : murdered in Cimitarra on February 26th, 1990.

– Julio Daniel Chaparro y Jorge Torres : murdered in Segovia (Antioquia) on April 24th, 1991.

– Carlos Lajud Catalán : murdered in Barranquilla on March 19th, 1993.

– Gerardo Bedoya : murdered in Cali on March 20th, 1997.

– Jairo Elías Márquez : murdered in Armenia on November 20th, 1997.

– Nelson Carvajal : murdered in Pitalito (Huila) on April 16th, 1998 (in 2016, Colombian State will be judge in face of the IACHR).

– Hernando Rangel Moreno : murdered in El Banco (Magdalena) on April 11th, 1999.

– Jaime Garzón : murdered in Bogotá on August 16th, 1999. – Jineth Bedoya : sequestered in Bogotá, tortured and raped on May 25th, 2000. – Hollman Morris : bugged and spied in the context of the Chuzadas.