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september 28, 2009
H.E.
Alvaro Uribe Vélez
President of Colombia
Nariño Palace
Bogotá
Colombia
Dear Mr. President,
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has investigated murders of journalists committed in the Americas in which there have always been delays in action by the judiciary, as well as irregularities. In the majority of cases police and judicial inquiries have stalled inexplicably, which prevents those responsible for the crimes being brought to justice.
The IAPA is determined to put an end to such impunity, a task in which it has the wide support of the international community, and takes the liberty of calling your attention to the death of journalist, commentator and humorist Jaime Garzón. Hitmen on a motorcycle shot and killed him as he was on his way to work at Radionet radio station in downtown Bogotá on August 13, 1999.
The courts sentenced a mastermind, who himself was later murdered. The testimony of several people indicated that paramilitaries and security agents may have been linked to the crime, but to date there has been no indication as to who actually carried out the murder. Now 10 years later no one has paid for Garzón’s death.
We would ask, Mr. President, for your intervention so that the proceedings not be allowed to come to a halt until all those responsible for this crime are duly punished. Only in this way will Garzón’s death not become merely another statistic in the list of unsolved murders in the Americas, in particular in Colombia.
Sincerely,
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