The National Protection Unit (UNP) condemned the crime of the journalist Rafael Emiro Moreno-Garavitokilled in Montelibano (Cordoba), last weekend.
That entity also confirmed that the victim had a valid security scheme and that Rafael Moreno himself asked that his escort leave his residence on Saturday morning.
The murder of the journalist and social leader has generated consternation in the country, since he had made serious complaints about acts of corruption in the department of Córdoba, for which he had received constant death threats against him.
The crime occurred last Sunday, October 16, in the July 27 neighborhood of the municipality of Montelíbano, when armed men attacked Moreno Garavito with firearms on several occasions.
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Due to the controversy that arose, the UNP issued a statement in which it specified that the human rights defender did have a security scheme at the time of his murder.
“The assigned escort states that the protected told him on Saturday, October 15 at 11:20 am, that he did not require his service any more that day and that he was pending until further notice. The escort says that he found out about the communicator’s death the next day through a phone call from another escort,” The National Protection Unit said in a statement.
At the same time, that entity pointed out that “at the time of the murder, the journalist He had a protection scheme that included an escort, a vest and a panic button.”
The victim was also a community leader of the Puerto Libertador neighborhood and he was a candidate for a peace seat in the last elections.
He also ran a news portal called “Voices of Cordoba”where he made reports of acts of corruption in the department of Córdoba.
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The UNP sent a message of condolence to the family of the victim who was recognized in the region for his courage and commitment to the defense of human rights. “Accompany the communicator’s family with solidarity and the entire community of Córdoba in the face of this painful episode of violence,” he said.
However, the entity recognized the serious danger faced by Rafael Emiro Moreno Garavito, for which it indicated that “Due to evidence of risk, the analysis group was doing a new study that had not been known by Cerrem (risk assessment and recommendations committee)”.
