AUC founder gave orders to El Tiempo journalist: Letters

[Judi Lynn]

AUC founder gave orders to El Tiempo journalist: Letters
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 18:04
Sarah Cast

Carlos Castaño, the late founder of the paramilitary army the AUC, instructed El Tiempo journalist Salud Hernandez-Mora what to publish, according to letters revealed Wednesday by the newspaper Un Pasquin.

In a letter sent to Hernandez-Mora in January 2003, Castaño wrote, “I beg, very respectfully, that you smooth out my answer to the question of how to finance the paramilitaries abandoning drug trafficking.”

“Esteemed commander,” replied Hernandez-Mora on January 31, 2003, “I understand your request, and it will be done.”

~snip~
The letters reportedly prove that Castaño was corresponding not only with Hernandez-Mora and Yamhure, but with former Constitutional Court Judge Rodrigo Escobar Gil and the current Colombian ambassador to Peru Jorge Visbal.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18987-letters-reveal-auc-founder-told-journalist-what-to-write.html

[gbscar]

1. The original text in Spanish indicates this was about an interview with Castaño for Spain's El Mundo

The above can be confirmed by reading the quotes and information here (in Spanish):

http://twitpic.com/6ktz6a/full

So that "order" is not referring to something published by El Tiempo, where the Spanish-born Hernandez-Mora works as a columnist as opposed to journalist. Colombia Reports doesn't really care to make any of that clear, but the Un Pasquin article does.

The ethical question remains, no doubt, but ultimately becomes somewhat different.

Should you interview a paramilitary and, if so, do you maintain cordial or friendly communications with him?

If Castaño asks you to clarify or alter one of the answers he gave during the interview, should that be done?

On purely personal grounds, I wouldn't do any of the above myself. I'd find it repugnant. However, there are journalists who think differently, not just when they interview murderous right-wing paramilitaries but also drug traffickers, rebels and other criminals around the world. Under those circumstances, I understand that there is another valid point of view.

Of course, it would be quite cynical to say this without addressing the other issue discussed in the Un Pasquin article, which is definitely far more serious. Using illegally obtained information from the DAS in order to criticize Supreme Court magistrates does make Hernandez-Mora look like a tool of the extreme right in their slander campaign against Colombian justice or, at best, morally indifferent to the point of not caring about letting her interests coincide with those of criminals.

In the end, the truth is none of these details make Hernandez-Mora look the least bit respectable in my view.

[EFerrari]

2. The para supporters are unrecing this thread.

Sick.