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The US Office on Colombia Blog is a bilingual space to discuss important news about human rights and peace in Colombia. Several of our articles come from prominent Colombian organizations and independent journalists. We encourage you to read our articles and participate by posting comments!


El Blog de la US Office on Colombia es un espacio bilingüe para discutir asuntos importantes acerca los derechos humanos y la paz en Colombia. Muchos de nuestros artículos vienen de prominentes organizaciones colombianas y de periodistas independientes. ¡Le animamos a Usted a que lea los artículos y participe con sus comentarios!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Hollman Morris falsely accused of having ties with the FARC

The Colombian authorities’ accusations against one of the country’s premier independent journalists, Hollman Morris, are unfounded and are a violation of press freedom.


Colombian authorities have stated that Mr. Morris was present during the release of the hostages on February 1st at an undisclosed area in the jungle and that he was directly given the location in advance by the FARC rebels. As a result of this, the government has publicly accused the journalist of being affiliated with the FARC. Hollman Morris has freely admitted that he indeed was present at the release sight, but in no way did the FARC give him the coordinates of the secret location. Mr. Morris has stated that he had been trying for weeks to get an interview with the FARC leadership and that he traveled through the jungle for days before arriving at what turned out to be the location of the FARC’s release of the hostages.


In any case, Hollman Morris’s presence at the release sight is not illegal under Colombian law and the subsequent actions taken by the Colombian government are clear violations of freedom of the press.


Mr. Morris was temporarily detained – along with his cameraman – by military officials. Felix Ivan, the commander of the XII brigade, without proof, went to the extent of claiming that he had official documents demanding that Hollman Morris turn over his notes and any footage of the release. Making matters worse, several high-ranking Colombian authorities have since made irresponsible public declarations. Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos stated that Mr. Morris is “close to the FARC.” President Álvaro Uribe Vélez has gone further to state that Hollman Morris “shields himself in his status as a journalist to be permissive and complicit with terrorism.”


These public allegations have resulted in a wave of new threats against Mr. Morris – who has been a beneficiary of Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ protection program since 2000. Mr. Morris is a renowned investigative journalist and peace activist.


It is imperative that the Colombian government be vigilant of the statements made by its top leaders – especially when they concern an already vulnerable sector of civil society, such as journalists.

  • To hear Hollman Morris give his testimony, please click here. (Spanish)
  • Click here to read a Semana article about Hollman Morris’s case. (Spanish)
  • Click here to read a blog entry by the Center for International Policy. (English)

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Hollman Morris acusado falsamente de tener vínculos con las Farc


Acusaciones por parte de las autoridades colombianos vinculando a uno de los periodistas eminentes del país, Hollman Morris, a las guerrillas, son infundadas y son una violación de la libertad de la prensa.


Las autoridades colombianas han dicho que el Sr. Morris estuvo presente durante la liberación de los rehenes el 1 de febrero en una zona no revelada en la selva y que fue dada esta ubicación de antemano directamente por las FARC. Como resultado de esto, el gobierno ha acusado públicamente al periodista de ser afiliado a las Farc. Hollman Morris ha admitido libremente que de hecho estuvo presente en el lugar de la liberación, pero de ninguna manera las Farc le daron las coordenadas del lugar secreto. El Sr. Morris ha declarado que por semanas había estado intentando obtener una entrevista con el liderazgo de las FARC y que viajó a través de la selva durante días antes de llegar a lo que se convirtió a ser la localización de la liberación de los rehenes.


En cualquier caso, la presencia de Hollman Morris en el lugar de la liberación no es ilegal según la ley colombiana y las medidas adoptadas por el gobierno colombiano despues del hecho son una clara violación de la libertad de la prensa.


El Sr. Morris fue temporalmente detenido - junto con su camaragrafo - por militares. Iván Félix, el comandante de la XII Brigada, sin pruebas, fue al extento de afirmar que había documentos oficiales exigiendo que Hollman Morris entregue sus notas y las imágenes de la liberación. Aún peor, varios altos autoridades colombianas han hecho declaraciones públicas irresponsables. El ministro de Defensa, Juan Manuel Santos, declaró que el Sr. Morris está “cerca de las Farc.” Presidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez se ha ido más allá, afirmando que Hollman Morris “se escuda en su condición de periodista para ser un permisivo cómplice del terrorismo.”


Estas denuncias públicas han producido una ola de nuevas amenazas contra el Sr. Morris - que ha sido beneficiario del programa de protección de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos desde el año 2000. El Sr. Morris es un periodista conocido y un activista de paz.


Es imperativo que el gobierno colombiano esté atento a las declaraciones realizadas por sus principales dirigentes - especialmente cuando se trata de un sector vulnerable de la sociedad civil, como los periodistas.

  • Para escuchar el testimonio de Hollman Morris, por favor haga clic aquí. (Español)
  • Haga clic aquí para leer un artículo de Semana sobre el caso de Hollman Morris. (Español)
  • Haga clic aquí para leer un artículo blog por el Center for International Policy. (Inglés)

35 comments:

  1. Morris is a well known terrorist in colombia. He is a member of the
    FARC and has been involved in various kidnappings. The FARC kidnapps
    innocent citizens and then contact Morris to interview the
    kidnapped. Morris then do interviews in a way that the FARC is not
    shown as the degenerates murderers they are. Then Morris gets a part
    of the ransom money for his interview. I congratulate the american
    government, Morris is a threat to america and his only intention is to
    infiltrate american universities with propaganda from terrorist
    organization he belongs to: the FARC.

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