Alfredo Garzón warns Abelardo de la Espriella will block reparations for Colombia's state‑crime victims

Illustrator Alfredo Garzón, brother of slain journalist Jaime Garzón, told EFE that the rise of ultra‑right politician Abelardo de la Espriella "supone un retroceso" and will prevent the reparations owed to ten million victims of state crimes in Colombia. Garzón, who co‑authored the graphic novel "Yo quiero no morir" with dramatist Verónica Ochoa, noted that the work – a new edition of "Garzón, el duelo imposible" published in Spain by Astiberri – follows Colombia’s 2023 acknowledgement of state involvement in his brother’s 1999 murder by narco‑paramilitaries and agents of the Colombian state.

He said the case remains in “impunidad práctica”, with no final truth or accountability, and highlighted that investigations into ten secret‑police agents are still pending. The novel aims to confront collective trauma, illustrating how fear has become a tool of state policy and linking his personal loss to the broader catalogue of state‑perpetrated violence in Colombia.