BOGOTÁ — 1986 · Murder
The Assassination of Guillermo Cano
Guillermo Cano Isaza, editor since 1952 of El Espectador, one of Colombia's oldest newspapers, had for years fiercely criticised the drug cartels' influence on politics and society. On the evening of 17 December 1986, as he drove out of the newspaper's building in Bogotá, he was shot dead by one of two hitmen on a motorcycle. The killing was linked to the Medellín Cartel's campaign of violence against the press. In the following years the paper's building was bombed and the family's lawyer was murdered. In 1995 four people were convicted of conspiring in the murder. In 2010 Colombian prosecutors declared it a crime against humanity. Since 1997 UNESCO has awarded its World Press Freedom Prize in his name.
- Date
- 1986
- Place
- Bogotá D.C., Colombia, Bogotá, CO
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 4.6420, -74.1050 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 17 December 1986Cano was shot dead as he left the newspaper's offices.
- September 1989El Espectador's building was devastated by a bomb.
- October 1995Four people were convicted of conspiring in the murder.
- 1997UNESCO created the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
- 2010The murder was classified as a crime against humanity.
Sources
- El Espectador — "Don Guillermo Cano murió en mis brazos" elespectador.com ↗
- El Tiempo — Homicidio de Guillermo Cano Isaza se considerará de lesa humanidad eltiempo.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Guillermo Cano Isaza en.wikipedia.org ↗
- El Espectador
- El Tiempo
- 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.