26 March 2010
 

The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) protests in the strongest possible terms the murder of newspaper editor and publisher Clodomiro Castilla Ospina, who was shot dead in Montería, Córdoba, on 19 March 2010. Castilla had received regular threats due his reporting on local corruption since 2006 and had previously received protection under a government programme; however his request for security measures to be reinstated in November 2009 was refused. The WiPC calls on the Colombian authorities to ensure that a full, prompt and impartial investigation into the killing is carried out and that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Clodomiro Castilla Ospina: editor and publisher of local newsmagazine El Pulso del Tiempo and radio journalist, was shot in Montería, Córdoba department, in northern Colombia, on 19 March 2010. Castilla (50) was reportedly reading a book outside his home in Montería when an unidentified gunman shot him at least eight times before fleeing on a motorbike. He died at the scene.

Castilla was known as a controversial journalist and is said to have been the target of regular threats since 2006 due to his coverage of the links between local politicians, landowners and illegal paramilitary groups. He received protection under a programme run by the Interior and Justice Ministry between 2006 and 2009 and asked for the security measures to be reinstated in November 2009 due to increasing threats; however his request was reportedly turned down on the basis of a national intelligence agency report that indicated he was no longer under threat. The Ministry had reportedly ordered a new risk analysis but at the time of Castilla’s death this had yet to be carried out.

According to one source, Castilla had recently reported on a local landowner’s alleged part in the murder of a Montería-based lawyer, corruption in local government bodies and alleged links between paramilitary groups and local politicians. He had also recently been a witness for a Supreme Court investigation into the latter.

The national police has begun an investigation but has not yet made public any possible motives or suspects. President Álvaro Uribe Vélez has reportedly condemned Castilla’s murder and offered a 50 million peso (US$26,000) reward for information on the crime.

 
Background

According to PEN’s information, Castilla is the third print journalist to be killed in Colombia since 2004. Javier Darío Arroyave, contributor to the national daily newspaper El Tiempo, was stabbed to death at his home in Cartago in Valle del Cauca on 4 September 2007; he had previously suffered harassment for his reporting on local corruption by a former mayor of Cartago. A year earlier, journalist Francisco Bonilla Romero was shot dead by two unidentified men, in Cali on 12 October 2006 in what was thought to be a targeted killing. A number of broadcast journalists have been also been murdered in Colombia in recent years.

 
Useful links

·         Report by the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) - 22 March 2010: http://www.ifex.org/colombia/2010/03/22/castilla_ospino_killed/ (English); http://www.ifex.org/colombia/2010/03/22/castilla_ospino_killed/es/ (Spanish)

·         Report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - 22 March 2010: http://cpj.org/2010/03/colombian-journalist-shot-dead-by-unidentified-gun.php (English); http://cpj.org/es/2010/03/periodista-colombiano-muerto-a-balazos-por-atacant.php (Spanish)

·         Report by the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights – 22 March 2010: http://www.cidh.oas.org/relatoria/showarticle.asp?artID=788&lID=1 (English); http://www.cidh.oas.org/relatoria/showarticle.asp?artID=788&lID=2 (Spanish)

·         Report by Reporters Without Borders (22 March 2010): http://www.rsf.org/Journalist-gunned-down-in-region.html (English), http://www.rsf.org/Asesinan-a-un-periodista-en-una.html (Spanish)


Please send appeals:

Protesting the murder of El Pulso del Tiempo editor Clodomiro Castilla Ospina, who was shot dead in Montería, Córdoba, on 19 March 2010;
Calling on the Colombian authorities to conduct a full, prompt and impartial investigation into Castilla’s death and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice;
Asking the Colombian authorities to investigate the delay in responding to Castilla’s request for renewed security measures under the journalists’ protection programme run by the Interior and Justice Ministries.
 

Appeals to:

President of the Republic
Señor Presidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez
Presidente de la República, Palacio de Nariño, Carrera 8 No.7-2, Bogotá, Colombia
Fax: +57 1 337 5890/ +57 1 342 0592
Salutation: Dear President Uribe/Excmo. Sr. Presidente Uribe

Minister of the Interior and Justice
Fabio Valencia Cossio
Ministro de Interior y Justicia
Carrera 9. No. 14-10, Capital District, Bogotá, Colombia
Tel/ Fax: +57 1 444 31 00

Vice-president of the Republic (Responsable for human rights policies in Colombia)
Dr. Francisco Santos Calderón
Vicepresidencia de la República, Carrera 8A No 7-27, Bogotá, Colombia
Fax: +57 1 565 7682
Salutation: Dear Mr Vice-president Santos/Estimado Sr. Vicepresidente Santos


Please send also appeals to diplomatic representatives of Colombia in your country (see http://www.embassiesabroad.com/embassies-of/Colombia).

 
***Please send appeals immediately. Check with International PEN if sending appeals after 26 May 2010.***


For further details please contact Tamsin Mitchell at the Writers in Prison Committee London Office: International PEN, Brownlow House, 50-51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER Tel: +44 (0) 207 405 0338 Fax +44 (0) 207 405 0339 email: tamsin.mitchell@internationalpen.org.uk
 

Letter template:

Dear Sir

I am a freelance editor who lives in New Zealand.  I am writing to you because I have been shocked to hear about the murder of El Pulso del Tiempo editor Clodomiro Castilla Ospina, who was shot dead in Montería, Córdoba, on 19 March 2010.

I understand that Castilla had received regular threats due his reporting on local corruption since 2006 and had previously received protection under a government programme; however his request for security measures to be reinstated in November 2009 was refused.  Consequently he had no protection against the murderer.

I am calling on the Colombian authorities to conduct a full, prompt and impartial investigation into Castilla’s death and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.  I am also asking the Colombian authorities to investigate the delay in responding to Castilla’s request for renewed security measures under the journalists’ protection programme run by the Interior and Justice Ministries.  Unless you can protect your journalists your people will have no independent voice.

Yours sincerely