Colombian journalist Mardonio Meja Mendoza shot dead at home

January 29, 2024 5:04 PM EST

Bogotá, January 29, 2024 — Colombian authorities must thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Mardonio Mejía Mendoza, determine if he was targeted for his work, and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

On Wednesday, January 24, a gunman shot and killed Mejía, founder and director of the independent Sonora Estero radio station in the northern town of San Pedro, at his home, according to Colombian authorities and news reports. A security camera video of the attack shows two men on a motorcycle approaching Mejía as he parks his own motorcycle inside his house. One of the men holding a pistol briefly enters the house and then jumps back on the motorcycle, which speeds away.

“The Colombian authorities must immediately investigate this unacceptable crime against journalist Mardonio Mejía Mendoza and hold those responsible to account as soon as possible,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin America and the Caribbean program coordinator, in São Paulo. “Killing a journalist sends a bad message to society and undermines press freedom in the country.”

Mejía, 67, hosted a daily hour-long program that included reports about crime and law enforcement, Viviana Yanguma, a researcher for the Bogotá-based Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) told CPJ. She said Mejía was one of the region’s best-known journalists and had received death threats for his reporting in 2013.

More:
https://cpj.org/2024/01/colombian-journalist-mardonio-mejia-mendoza-shot-dead-at-home/