Colombia sign accord on solving journalist murder

BOGOTA, Colombia (December 15, 2005)—An agreement reached between the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the Colombian government in negotiations under the auspices of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has opened the way for investigations into the April 16, 1998 murder of journalist Nelson Carvajal to move ahead.

The accord, dubbed “amicable agreement,” came yesterday during a meeting at the Colombian Foreign Ministry between officials and representatives of the IAPA. The IACHR had stepped in after the IAPA made a presentation to it in 2002 in which it reported on serious irregularities in the inquiries into the case and the fact that the murder continued to go unpunished.

Enrique Santos Calderón, chairman of the IAPA’s Impunity Committee, said, “Our organization can be pleased with the result of this meeting, although we will continue to keep a close eye on the process, because what is important is to fully solve the case and other such crimes against journalists.”

Progress has been made since the two parties met in Washington, D.C., in October. Since then, the Colombian Attorney General’s Office sent the matter to its Human Rights Unit in Bogotá and appointed a new prosecutor to take charge of investigating the case. It was also noted that Attorney General Mario Iguarán planned to reactivate a unit that had been dealing with cases of crimes against journalists in general.

The IAPA asked that protection be provided to members of Carvajal’s family who had recently been receiving threats. It stressed the need to include the Solicitor General’s Office – responsible for oversight of public officials’ conduct – in the working group. It also said what was required was an investigation to determine who was responsible for the irregularities in the investigation into the case and to look at what legal, administrative or judicial measures might be taken to combat the impunity that surrounds many other murders of journalists.

After setting a timeline for its work the group scheduled a follow-up meeting in the second week of April.

The government was represented by Clara Inés Vargas from the Foreign Ministry; María Fernanda Cabal, director of international affairs in the Attorney General’s Office; Marisol Palacio, director of the Human Rights Unit, and Luz Gil García from the Defense Ministry. For the IAPA taking part were Santos Calderón, co-editor of the Bogotá daily newspaper El Tiempo; Press Freedom Director Ricardo Trotti and Dian Calderón, investigator in Colombia of the Rapid Response Unit.

Carvajal, a teacher as well as a journalist, was killed in Pitalito, Huila province, Colombia, reportedly in reprisal for his exposure of corruption in the local government. He was host of  the “Noticiero Momento Regional” (News of the Region) news program and the shows “Mirador de la Semana (Weekly Review),” “Amanecer en el Campo (At Dawn in the Countryside)” and “Tribuna Médica (Medical Tribune)” broadcast by Radio Sur radio station.

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