BOGOTÁ — 1999 · Murder
The Assassination of Humorist Jaime Garzón
Jaime Garzón, a journalist and one of Colombia's best-loved satirists, was shot dead by gunmen on a motorcycle as he drove to work in Bogotá on the morning of 13 August 1999. Garzón was also acting as a mediator in hostage-release talks with armed groups. Investigations found the killing was ordered by the leader of the AUC paramilitaries after figures in state intelligence portrayed Garzón as a guerrilla collaborator. A former deputy director of the DAS intelligence agency was sentenced in 2018 to 30 years as an instigator. The Council of State held the state responsible that year; family and rights groups stress that many of those responsible have never been tried.
- Date
- 1999
- Place
- Bogotá D.C., Colombia, Bogotá, CO
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 4.6340, -74.0900 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 13 August 1999Garzón was shot dead on his way to work in Bogotá.
- 2000sInvestigations exposed links between paramilitaries and intelligence officials.
- 2018A former DAS official was sentenced to 30 years as an instigator.
- 13 August 2018The Council of State held the state responsible.
Sources
- El Colombiano — 25 años del asesinato de Jaime Garzón y solo hay un condenado elcolombiano.com ↗
- Centro Nacional de Memoria Histórica — Jaime Garzón centrodememoriahistorica.gov.co ↗
- Wikipedia — Jaime Garzón en.wikipedia.org ↗
- El Colombiano
- National Centre for Historical Memory
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.