Second Colombian journalist killed in less than a month
Source: Knight Center,University of Texas at Austin
Second Colombian journalist killed in less than a month
Posted at 2012-03-30 17:21
By Liliana Honorato/NR
For the second time this month, a Colombian journalist was shot to death; this time in Sabanalarga, in the state of Atlántico, Colombia, reported The Associated Press. Journalist Jesús Martínez, a community radio reporter in Sabanalarga, was killed Thursday, March 29.
Martínez's family said that the journalist did not receive death threats, according to the news site Terra. There were several witnesses at the crime scene, and a reward will likely be offered for finding the person responsible for the crime, said Jesús Movilla, secretary of government of Sabanalarga, according to Colombia Reports.
Martínez is the second Colombian journalist killed in the month of March. Journalist and political leader Argemiro Cárdenas Agudelo was killed on March 15. Days after the crime, a young man confessed that he was paid to to kill the journalist.
Although only one journalist, Luis Eduardo Gómez, was killed last year in Colombia, at least 202 cases of violence against journalists were recorded in 2011, according to a report by the Colombian Federation of Journalists (Fecolper in Spanish).
Read more: http://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-9595-second-colombian-journalist-killed-less-month
Judi Lynn
(160,530 posts)Colombian politicians take plea deal in parapolitics case .
Friday, 30 March 2012 11:07
Brandon Barrett
More than 100 politicians accused of links to the AUC paramilitary organization accepted a plea deal that would see their sentences shortened, reported local media.
The investigation involved former mayors and city councilmen from the departments of Magdalena and Cesar, who allegedly accepted political support from the now-disbanded armed group in 2001 in what was called the Pivijay pact.
Several of the political leaders allegedly met with the former leader of the AUC's Northern Bloc Rodrigo Tovar Pupo, alias "Jorge 40" to discuss dividing up the region into various constituencies.
The case prosecutor requested a hearing to negotiate plea bargains with the elected officials.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/23188-colombian-politicians-take-plea-deal-in-parapolitics-case.html
Judi Lynn
(160,530 posts)Colombian govt bodyguards should go to threatened rights defenders: Congressman .
Friday, 30 March 2012 16:00
Christan Leonard
Colombian Congressman Guillermo Rivera proposed government officials give up their bodyguards so they can protect threatened land rights leaders instead, reported Radio Caracol Friday.
Rivera suggested before the House of Representatives that all government officials with more than two bodyguards on their security detail follow his example and give one up. His proposal comes three days after Manuel Ruiz, a land restitution leader in the department of Choco, was found dead after having been tortured. His 15-year-old son was with him when he went missing, and is also thought to be dead.
According to papers seen by magazine Semana, Ruiz had unsuccessfully requested government protection three times since last year. According to official figures, at least 17 land rights leaders have been killed since the government began its policy of land restitution in 2010. Some NGOs estimate that the number is actually as high as 49.
"I invite all government employees that enjoy protection schemes of the National Police or the National Agency for Protection of State to give up at least one member of their security scheme," said Rivera.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/23197-govt-officials-should-give-up-bodyguards-congressman-rivera.html