Freedom of Expression

Press Release 151/06

OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION CONDEMNS THE MURDER OF JOURNALIST IN COLOMBIA AND DEMANDS PROMPT INVESTIGATION

Washington, D.C., August 31, 2006. The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS condemns the murder of the journalist Atilano Segundo Pérez Barrios in Colombia. The Rapporteurship urges the Colombian authorities to investigate this incident swiftly and effectively in order to ensure that the persons responsible are duly punished and to determine whether the crime is connected to the exercise of journalism. 

According to the information received by the Office of the Special Rapporteur, on the night of August 22, 2006, individuals riding on a motorcycle shot the journalist several times in front of his house in the city of Cartagena, department of Bolívar. It was also indicated that two days before the assassination, Mr. Pérez Barrios denounced on a radio program the alleged financing of electoral campaigns in the region by demobilized paramilitaries.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression emphasizes that according to the American Convention on Human Rights, States have the duty to prevent, investigate, and punish all violations of rights recognized therein. Furthermore, Principle 9 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression notes that: “the murder, kidnapping, intimidation of and/or threats to social communicators, as well as the material destruction of communications media violate the fundamental rights of individuals and strongly restrict freedom of expression. It is the duty of the States to prevent and investigate such occurrences, to punish their perpetrators and to ensure that victims receive adequate compensation.” 

The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Ignacio J. Álvarez, noted that “when investigating crimes against journalists it is especially important to investigate not only the direct perpetrators, but also the masterminds and the additional individuals whose collaboration and tacit acceptance made these crimes possible.

For additional information about the Office of the Special Rapporteur: http://www.cidh.org/relatoria