Stop the persecution and harassment of social leaders in Colombia
El CLACSO Working Group on the Political Economy of Information, Communication and Culture It reiterates its deep concern about the intensification of the persecution and harassment of social leaders in Colombia, especially by the paramilitary group FARC Dissidents and some media outlets owned by national and transnational elites.
We strongly condemn the actions of Caracol Radio, particularly on the program "6 AM, Hoy por Hoy." Through its journalists, the organized communities of the Mass, Social, and Popular Political Movement of Central-Eastern Colombia have been stigmatized and criminalized. This manipulation of information seeks to justify a policy of war and extermination against the social population, endangering the lives of its leaders and members.
The grave consequences of this behavior are evident in the recent attacks perpetrated by the paramilitary group "FARC Dissidents." In the early morning of March 31, they attacked the headquarters of the Sarare agricultural cooperative, Cooagrosarare, a solidarity economy organization with over 60 years of history in the region, with explosives. They also murdered community leader Jorge Luis Meléndez Torres and kidnapped and subsequently murdered Graciel Mendoza, a community leader and victims' representative, who was a member of the committee for the effective participation of victims in the municipality of Tame, Arauca.
It is also important to remember the assassination of social and community leader and human rights defender Josué Castellanos Pérez, a member of the Social and Popular Mass Political Movement of Central-Eastern Colombia (MPMSPCOC). On March 5, hours after the journalist's statement, Josué was kidnapped and murdered by the paramilitary group "FARC Dissidents" in the municipality of Tame, Arauca. We condemn this atrocious crime and demand justice for Josué and his family.
Later, a video surfaced in which one of the leaders of the paramilitary group admitted responsibility for the murders, justifying himself with arguments similar to those disseminated by the journalist.
We demand that Caracol Radio assume its responsibility and retract its accusations and harassment, and we urge the competent authorities to investigate and punish these criminal acts. We stand in solidarity with the communities of the Mass, Social, and Popular Political Movement of Central-Eastern Colombia and with all organizations resisting stigmatization and violence.
It is imperative to strengthen and support alternative media outlets that practice ethical journalism, committed to the truth, the defense of human rights, and the visibility of popular struggles. Only in this way will we build a more just and informed society, where communication is a tool for social change and the construction of popular power.
April 15th 2024
CLACSO Working Group
Political economy of information, communication and culture
This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
