This Monday, March 27, six armed men arrived at the facilities of El Heraldo, in Barranquilla, two of them entered and demanded to speak with the director of the outlet, Erika Fontalvo. Three journalists had to go out to talk with the members of the armed group, who told them that they had a message from Digno Palomino, their leader, who supposedly wants to join the negotiations for total peace and requested that an interview that the band be published criminal performed.
Similarly, last week, a member of the criminal group Los Costeños called the newsroom of El Heraldo and demanded that their leader, alias “El Castor,” be interviewed. Zona Cero, a digital media outlet in Barranquilla, was also the victim of threats through an anonymous message on social networks in which they were told that “they are going to rot from bombs in their facilities.”
These intimidations occurred after on Saturday, March 25, Óber Ricardo Martínez Gutiérrez, alias Negro Ober, leader of Los Rastrojos Costeños, released a video in which he demanded that El Heraldo, Zona Cero and Impacto News have an interview with him, as response to the capture of his wife.
These attacks and the instrumentalization of the media endanger the lives of journalists. The cases show the high capacity for damage that these illegal groups have.
Given the above, the Foundation for Press Freedom made an urgent call to the National Protection Unit (UNP) to activate the emergency procedure and coordinate with the National Police so that they immediately activate protection measures that protect the integrity of journalists. Finally, we ask the Prosecutor’s Office to carry out a quick and efficient investigation that leads to punishing those responsible for these events.