FLIP rejects ultra-conservative candidate Enrique Gómez's attacks on journalists

After a journalistic report was unveiled on April 10 that assured the responsibility of members of the Colombian Army in the events that took place in Putumayo, the candidate for the President of the Republic Enrique Gómez accused the journalists of being allies of drug trafficking.

FLIP rejected the accusations that Gomez made on his Twitter account.

According to the organization that fights for press freedom, the allegations are “unfounded” and put the lives of journalists in the country at risk.

According to FLIP, Enrique Gómez's act of insulting allegations against the media and linking them to drug trafficking is “creating a narrative that ignores reality, since the Colombian press has been one of the actors most violated by drug trafficking.”

In the statement, the Foundation for Press Freedom recalled what was said by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights following the judgment in the Carvajal v. Colombia.

The organization assured that, “the remarks of candidate Enrique Gómez are highly irresponsible, since they endanger the integrity of the journalists working in the media to which he refers, since many of them carry out reports in areas at risk, where there are different armed groups.”

Gómez continued his attack on the press and assured that, “the media are not judged or judged by the brave men who make up the Armed Forces. Due process must take place in all circumstances.”

On this triune, FLIP reminded him that, “journalism must have every guarantee to be able to investigate matters of high public interest, which do not necessarily have a judicial process. On this, the Constitutional Court ruled in 2009 and clarified that “judicial truth”, that is, that which arises from judicial proceedings, does not necessarily amount to “real truth”.

He also reminded him that as a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic he has the duty to promote a “good climate” for journalists to carry out their investigative exercise, but “Gómez distances himself from these obligations and intends to teach what content should be investigated”.

“We reiterate our call to the Office of the Attorney General and the National Electoral Council to urgently establish a strategy to prevent electoral violence when it is directed against the press and to adopt sanctions against those responsible. We also call on the candidate to rectify his comments and refrain from making assessments that put journalists at risk,” said the Flip statement.

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