Miami (June 10, 2009).—The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today called on the Colombian authorities to investigate the death of Hernando Salas Rojas, a journalist with the Caquetá Cable Community Association in the south of Caquetá and a community leader, who was murdered by two hitmen on May 20. 

Salas, 33, also chaired a committee calling for the recall of the mayor of Curillo, Esneider Mayorga, for alleged wrongdoing in local city administration. According to sources in Caquetá consulted by the IAPA’s Rapid Response Unit (RRU) in Colombia Salas had announced that he was having problems with the mayor involving the loss of $25,000. 

Oscar Preciado, legal counsel for Caquetá Cable, told the RRU that the local TV channel dealt only with community and educational matters and he felt it was unlikely that Salas’ murder was linked to the work he carried out for the channel. “Salas had received threats over what he did as chairman of the committee calling for the mayor’s recall,” he stated.