Colombian rebel group threatens investigative journalists as ‘armed actors’

Bogotá, December 1, 2025—Colombian authorities should thoroughly investigate threats made by a rebel group against the investigative unit of news outlet Caracol Noticias and ensure that its reporters can safely do their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

In a November 27 video reviewed by CPJ, negotiators with the General Staff of Blocks and Front, a guerrilla group currently in peace talks with the Colombian government, accused Caracol Noticias of spreading hate and disinformation in connection with their November 23 report linking government officials to allegations that they helped the group’s leader evade security protocols and procure weapons. The reporting led to the suspension of a Colombian army general and the chief of Colombia’s National Intelligence Directorate.

“If some journalists like war so much, why don’t they put on boots, a camouflage uniform, pick up a gun and go to the battlefield?” said an unidentified rebel fighter in the video.

“This severe threat against Caracol Noticias must be fully investigated, and those responsible must be quickly held accountable,” said CPJ’s Latin America program coordinator, Cristina Zahar. “Reporters are civilians who should not be targeted by criminal groups, and the Colombian government must guarantee their safety if they are to continue reporting on issues of public interest.” 

Ricardo Calderón, one of the Caracol Noticias reporters who worked on the story, told CPJ that the guerrillas’ declaration constituted a “grave threat” against journalists but said the station would continue to broadcast investigative reports about the rebels.   

In a statement on X, the office of the Colombian government’s human rights ombudsman called the rebel threats “inadmissible” and said they “generate a grave and unjustifiable risk for the integrity of journalists and for the free exercise of their work.” The office further called on the Colombian government to protect journalists and for rebels to publicly acknowledge them as civilians.

CPJ’s email to a spokesman for the Colombian Attorney General’s office requesting comment on whether they are investigating such threats did not receive an immediate reply.