The renowned lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella published on his social networks a letter addressed to the director of the newspaper EL TIEMPOwhere he requested that the cartoonist Julio César González, known as Matador, be fired for having led a case of domestic violence.
The fact was recorded in 2013 and was against his wife. The lawyer revealed in the official account of his firm ‘De la Espriella Lawyers’ an audio where the cartoonist’s wife recounted how he hit her while drunk.
“He took all my things, he threw them all over the apartment, I got away as best I could and went to the other room and there he slapped me again, he squeezed my neck and I told him not to hit me. And he told me to shut up, that I had no right to speak, that I was a bitch and that’s when he kicked me in the left leg at the bottom part of the shin (…) I locked myself in the bathroom and took the phone and called the concierge, and I told them that if they helped me with the Police”, is heard in the audio.
Given this, the newspaper, which for several years has led a campaign called ‘It’s not time to shut up’, where cases of gender violence are made visible, fired the renowned cartoonist and reiterated that categorically reject these types of actions.
“Being consistent with the purpose and direction of the campaign, and with the principles of this publishing house, the newspaper’s management asks ‘Matador’ to express itself regarding this situation in a clear and timely manner. In the meantime, it reports that it has made the decision to suspend the participation of the cartoonist in the publications of the publishing house EL TIEMPO”, said the media outlet through a statement to public opinion.
For his part, the cartoonist stated: “Infinite thanks to all the subscribers and readers of @ELTIEMPO during these 20 years of friendship. Today, the corrupt people that I always attacked with my pencil celebrate my fall and they fire me for a personal mistake that I made and amended. Never lower your head before the power. I love”.