Press Freedom Attacked in Colombia

Our friends at Center for International Policy, CIP, have reminded us once again of how Colombian President Alvaro Uribe continues to target journalists and human rights workers with veiled accusations about their actions. Below is a post I share with you, from their ongoing blog about Colombia:

Sometimes, reading translated transcripts isn’t enough.

Here is a video, with English subtitles, of some of Colombian President Álvaro Uribe’s more heated attacks on journalists and peace activists in Colombia. In many cases, the president accuses his targets, without evidence, of supporting the FARC guerrillas. The impact on press freedom of such words, from a popular president speaking on nationally broadcast television, is immeasurably chilling.

These clips come from a somewhat longer video prepared by several non-governmental Colombian human rights groups for presentation at the March 23 hearings of the OAS Inter-American Human Rights Commission. That video - in Spanish, with clips of interviews with experts and activists - is here.

Alvaro Uribe and Freedom of Expression from Adam Isacson on Vimeo.