The Voices that Colombia Lost in 2020

Journalists Abelardo Liz and Felipe Guevara were murdered during 2020. Their cases exposed the crude violence that journalists continue to face, both by law enforcement Personnel and by criminal gangs.

 

Abelardo: The death that Indigenous Peoples Mourn and Show the Indolence of the State

Abelardo, in a tragic coincidence, died on August 13, the day of the anniversary of the killing of Jaime Garzón. The indigenous journalist was in Corinto, Cauca, covering an eviction by the police and the army. During the confrontations, he was wounded by a firearm. Law enforcement personnel claimed that the bullet came from illegal groups that had also fired; however, the indigenous community denies that there had been clashes with the guerrillas that day.

 

Neither Ivan Duque, nor any authority spoke on the subject. Six months later, the case has progressed extraordinarily little, and the responses of the Prosecutor's Office and the Army on the progress of the investigation are insufficient. There is no guarantee that this is being carried out in a serious and impartial manner.

 

If you want to read the full report about the murder of this indigenous journalist, and how this seriously affects a community, go to page 7 of our PDF magazine named Páginas para la libertad de expresión.

The Journalist of the Neighborhoods of Cali

Felipe was only 27 years old when he was killed at Mariano Ramos neighborhood in Cali, Valle del Cauca. He worked as a judicial journalist at Q’hubo newspaper, the most widely read popular newspaper in the city. He was shot outside his home on December 21st and died in intensive care on December 23rd.

 

Despite the repeated threats that Felipe had received in the past, the first reaction of the Cali Police Commander was to deny the hypothesis that the murder was related to his journalistic work. At the beginning of January 2021, one of the alleged perpetrators was captured, a 16-year-old boy who denied charges of aggravated homicide and the manufacture, trafficking, and carrying of firearms.

 

This murder seriously affects freedom of the press. After these events, some reporters may prefer to move away from certain areas, and to pull other items off the agenda.

 

To read the full story about this journalist, read page 15 of Páginas para la libertad de expresión PDF magazine.

 

Here you can view the entire magazine, or you can download it to your device.