Journalist Carlos Alfonso Pérez Sedeño reports death threats in Arauca

Colombian journalist Carlos Alfonso Pérez Sedeño has reported that death threats from illegal armed groups have forced him to abandon the Arauca region, impacting his professional work and livelihood. A member of the Colombian Federation of Journalists (Fecolper), Pérez Sedeño attributes the threats to his investigations into drug trafficking, noting that the intensity of these threats has increased since 2024.

Despite having bodyguards and an armored vehicle, the journalist stated that such protection limits his ability to cover news effectively and leads to self-censorship due to fear. The Freedom of the Press Foundation (FLIP) has previously warned of a pattern in Arauca where journalists face intimidating messages and are falsely accused of acting as spokespersons for armed groups, a practice that endangers local media.

The National Protection Unit (UNP) maintains that protection requests undergo individual evaluations, while FLIP has called on authorities to prioritize these threats in security councils and investigate those who stigmatize informants.