PBI-Colombia thanks Canadian Embassy for observation of hearing on psychological torture of journalist Claudia Julieta Duque

On January 21, the Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project tweeted, “We thank the embassies of the United Kingdom, Holland, France, Germany and Canada for their international observation at the hearing against former DAS officials for psychological torture of the journalist Claudia Julieta Duque represented by dh Colombia.”

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas has explained, “In 2004, the psychological torture against Duque began due to her journalistic work, especially her investigation of the murder of journalist and humorist Jaime Garzón in 1999.”

“In her journalistic investigations, Duque linked former officials of the now extinct intelligence department of the country known as DAS (Administrative Department of Security) in the planning and execution of the assassination of Garzón.”

“Regarding this crime, in 2018, a former deputy director of the DAS was sentenced to 30 years in prison for ‘determining’ Garzón’s murder.”

Front Line Defenders adds, “The human rights defender has been the target of intimidation, harassment, threats and surveillance since 2001, when she began investigating into the murder of fellow journalist Jaime Garzón and she found out that agents of the Administrative Department of Security (DAS) were involved in a cover-up.”

In June 2019, Time Magazine reported, “Lack of security and safety in Colombia for journalists has forced some to flee the country; two journalists fled after being harassed online by officials. Others, like local journalist Claudia Duque, have endured kidnapping, illegal surveillance, and psychological torture for decades. Courts convicted three high-ranking security service officers for torturing Duque and put another eight on trial. As of January 2019, none has served a day in prison.”

In September 2019, Duque commented, “In Colombia, journalism is far from free and unobstructed. Here, the threats against journalists are constant. Three colleagues have been murdered since last December.”

PBI has accompanied Claudia Julieta Duque since 2010.

Photo by Fecolper.