Journalists Killed in 2015 - Motive Unconfirmed: Edgar Quintero
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 29 December 2015 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Journalists Killed in 2015 - Motive Unconfirmed: Edgar Quintero, 29 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56849fb06.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Radio Luna
March 2, 2015, in Palmira, Colombia
An unidentified gunman on a motorcycle shot Quintero multiple times as the journalist was entering a bakery in Palmira, a city in the Southwestern department Valle del Cauca, according to news reports. The bakery was near the offices of Radio Luna, where the journalist worked.
Quintero, known as "Quintín," hosted the news and commentary program "News and Something More" (Noticias y Algo Más) every weekday on Radio Luna, local journalists told CPJ. He often criticized local government and police officials on his program and discussed sensitive issues like corruption, according to the Bogotá-based press freedom organization Foundation for the Freedom of the Press (FLIP) and Edison Hidalgo, a journalist for the local station Radio Palmira, who spoke to CPJ.
Hidalgo said that Quintero had recently called officials from the city's previous administration "thieves" on the air and that the journalist had received threats more than a year ago. Hidalgo said he didn't know the content of the threats or whether Quintero had reported them to the authorities.
The Palmira police chief, Coronel William López, told FLIP he was unaware if Quintero had received any threats in the days leading up to his death. Another local law enforcement official, Coronel Fernando Murillo, told journalists that authorities were looking into several possible motives, including a personal grievance, according to news reports.
Motive Unconfirmed: CPJ is investigating to determine whether the death was work-related.
