Two Colombian journalists were shot dead by unknown assailants while they were travelling in a car on a highway in the north of the country on Sunday. Leiner Montero was director of an online radio station while Dilia Contreras was the director of an online news website. According to preliminary investigations by the police, Montero had been in a fight with a group of unknown people just before his killing.
Speaking to the media, police commander Andres Serna said, “After this act of intolerance, the journalist decided to leave in his car alongside Dilia and another man, and on the way they were killed.”
Authorities remain unsure of whether the attack was related to the journalists’ work. Colombia’s Foundation for Press Freedom has called for a quick investigation into the killings and urged the police to take the journalistic work of Montero and Contreras into account during the investigation.
Hacemos un llamado a la @PoliciaColombia y a la @FiscaliaCol para que investiguen con la mayor celeridad este caso y que tengan en cuenta dentro de la investigación el trabajo periodístico de Leiner y Dilia.
— FLIP (@FLIP_org) August 28, 2022
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