Community television journalist murdered

Reporters Without Borders said today that community television journalist Diego Rojas Velásquez, working for Supía TV, was obviously lured into an ambush before being shot dead near Caramanta, in the north-western Antioquia department on 22 September. The journalist, who was based at Supía, in the neighbouring department of Caldas, had received a telephone call offering him a story immediately before he was murdered. He mainly covered areas such as health and education but “had a particular interest in crime stories”; one of his colleagues told the worldwide press freedom organisation. “The motive for his killing remains unclear, Supía TV not being aware of any threat made against him. However the connection between his murder and his work should be prioritised, given the circumstances of Rojas’s death and the judicial nature of the news he dealt with”, the organisation said. “We express our full support for his family and his colleagues at Supía TV. His death sadly reminds us of the threats that still stalk the media, particularly community-based, in areas where pockets of armed conflict continue”, it added. Rojas was shot four times when he was on the road to Caramanta, in the early evening shortly after receiving a call at his office. He was said to be “utterly committed” to his job. He had spent only two months working for the community station, which covers the municipalities of Supía and Riosucio. The number of murders attributed to criminality has fallen in the region, but this area has long suffered from the presence of guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), remnants of which remain in the area. The murder of Rojas brings to two the number of journalists killed in Colombia since the beginning of the year for reasons likely linked to their jobs. José Everardo Aguilar, a commentator on Radio Super and Bolívar Estéreo, was killed in Cauca department in the south-west on 24 April.