Colombian journalist killed with five shots and mutilated in Antioquia
The forensic report revealed that Mateo received non-lethal shots before being executed on his knees and mutilated with an axe or machete in Briceño, Antioquia.
Forensic report reveals torture method in death of journalist in Briceño
Elinformadorchile.cl reports that the forensic report on the death of young journalist Mateo—correspondent for the news outlet El Confidente—confirms that the five shots he received were neither consecutive nor simultaneous.
According to the document prepared by specialists, the first projectiles struck the chest, left knee, and abdomen, damaging the liver. "The first shots were not fatal; they were made to cause pain or torture. The last shots were the ones that caused his death and he received them whilst on his knees," declared a family member to Colombian media outlet El Colombiano.
After letting him suffer, the perpetrators inflicted two shots to the head. Subsequently, according to an account from a close friend, they used an axe or machete to cut the body into two parts: "We know that they used a smooth-bore weapon to divide him so that he would decompose faster and thus conceal him". The grave, according to the same source, was of minimal dimensions: "They made a very small grave and cut him up so he could fit, since they did not even bother making a bigger hole. You would not do such things to an animal".
Mateo died on 8 May in a rural area of the municipality of Briceño, department of Antioquia, where he had travelled to cover the armed conflict between FARC dissidents and the National Army.
The journalist's family members demand the capture of Néider Yesid Uñates López, alias Primo Gay, and Gustavo Eliécer Sepúlveda Jaramillo, alias Macho Viejo, identified as members of the armed group responsible for the kidnapping and homicide. "It is very sad that they carried out this crime and used these methods only to send a message, with no humanitarian consideration whatsoever," said a relative of the journalist.
The AP news agency situated the journalist's disappearance within a context of a "grave" humanitarian crisis, stemming from the dispute between dissidents led by alias "Calarcá" and the Clan del Golfo over strategic routes. The Foundation for Press Freedom rejected the homicide and noted that the case shows that reporters in Colombia continue to carry out their work "in very dangerous situations due to the influence of illegal armed groups".
Source: Google News CL — Crime