H.E.
President Alvaro Uribe Vélez
Nariño Palace
Bogota, Colombia

Dear Mr. President,

Determined to put an end to the impunity that surrounds numerous crimes against journalists in the Americas, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), in unison with the international community, takes the liberty of calling your attention to the case of Colombian radio commentator Gustavo Ruiz Cantillo, murdered in Pivijay, Magdalena, on November 15, 2000.

A month before hitmen shot him as he was crossing the market square he had received threats over his commentaries on violence unleashed by paramilitary groups. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has failed to identify those responsible. The murder continues to go unpunished.

We call upon your good offices, Mr. President, for the necessary steps to be taken to determine who was guilty of Ruiz Cantillo’s murder, so that his death may not remain just another statistic in the list of unsolved murders in the Americas.

Sincerely,

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