En El Medio—Los Silencios Del Periodismo Colombiano

Please join us for a documentary film screening and discussion to follow: En el Medio—Los Silencios del Periodismo Colombiano Tuesday, April 5, 2016 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Freedom House 1850 M Street NW, Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20036 The film and discussion will be in Spanish The press in Colombia has historically faced severe restrictions, threats, and violence from a wide range of actors. The dangers involved in covering some stories, limited access to information, impediments to the exercise of free speech, and almost no state investment in the country’s regions have contributed to making journalism a challenging endeavor in Colombia. FLIP, which has worked for 20 years to improve conditions for journalists and to advocate on behalf of free expression, produced the documentary 'En el medio - Los silencios del periodismo colombiano' to recount the harsh challenges regional journalists in Colombia confront today. Participants: Jineth Bedoya Lima is a journalist in Colombia. In 2001, she was honored with the “Courage in Journalism” prize from the International Women’s Media Foundation. She is currently the Deputy Editor for legal news for the newspaper El Tiempo. Pedro Vaca Villarreal is the Executive Director of the FLIP. He holds a Masters Degree in Law with a specialization in Constitutional Law. He is the attorney for the National University of Colombia.  Richard Vélezis a Colombian journalist. While in exile, he won a case against the State. Vélez was beaten by uniformed officers and his camera was destroyed while recording peasant protests. The footage was recovered and used as evidence in his case.  Moderator and Conclusion:  Edison Lanza is the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.