Radio Súper and Bolívar Estéreo
April 29, 2009, in Patía, Colombia
A man posing as a delivery person entered Aguilar’s home in southwestern
Cauca province around 7:15 p.m., saying he had
a package of photos to deliver, according to Ovidio Hoyos, director of the
Popayán-based Radio Súper, where Aguilar worked. Once inside, the assailant
shot Aguilar three times and fled. The journalist died at the scene, Hoyos told
CPJ.
Aguilar, 72, was a correspondent for Radio Súper in the
southern city of Patía.
He also hosted a daily news program on the community radio station Bolívar
Estéreo, Hoyos said. The journalist had reported for Radio Súper for 10 years
and was known for his harsh criticism of corruption and links between local
politicians and right-wing paramilitaries, according to CPJ interviews and
local news reports. A 30-year veteran, he had also reported for national
Caracol Radio and RCN.
Martín Aguilar, the journalist’s son, told CPJ that his
father had received death threats two years ago, but he did not know of any
recent ones. Hoyos said Aguilar had not relayed any threats to him.
Local and national authorities were investigating, Col. Luis
Joaquín Camacho, commander of the Cauca police,
told CPJ. On July 10, the Colombian National Police arrested Arley Manquillo
Rivera, also known as “El Huracán,” at a routine checkpoint outside the
provincial capital, Popayán, based on witness descriptions of the assailant,
according to an official police statement. Authorities believe Manquillo, who
has alleged ties to the local drug trafficking gang Los Rastrojos, was hired to
kill the journalist, a police spokesman told CPJ. Investigators were looking
into Aguilar’s reporting on local and provincial government corruption as a
possible motive for his murder. Manquillo denied involvement in the killing,
local journalists told CPJ.
Medium: Radio
Job: Broadcast Reporter
Beats Covered: Corruption
Gender: Male
Local or Foreign: Local
Freelance: No
Type of Death: Murder
Suspected Source of Fire: Paramilitary Group
Impunity: Yes
Taken Captive: No
Threatened: Yes
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