Colombian journalist Jineth Bedoya, author of “The Life and Death of Mono Jojoy,” is accused on a pro-FARC website of working for the military, according to the Foundation for Freedom of the Press (FLIP).
The El Tiempo journalist released her book about the deceased FARC leader last week, and on Tuesday a banner ad appeared on Anncol, a website sympathetic to the guerrillas. The ad had a picture of the journalist and said “Jineth Bedoya, journalist or with military intelligence?” The banner was removed Wednesday, but can be seen above and here. Colombian police and military consider the banner to be a threat against her life.
Bedoya said she was waiting for a reaction from the FARC after the publication of her book, but is worried by the weight that the authorities attach to the appearance of the banner. According to FLIP, she has received multiple death threats in the course of her career.
NGO Reporters Without Borders in May called the FARC “predators of press freedom,” as the rebel group try “to control or influence the news media, … have kidnapped 50 journalists since 1997, … make it almost impossible for the media to work in guerrilla-controlled areas… [and] carried out several sabotage campaigns against the transmitters of radio and TV stations considered hostile.”
