EQUIPO NIZKOR |
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21Jul10
IPI Urges U.S State Department to Reverse Decision to Deny Colombian Journalist's Visa
Journalist Hollman Morris' visa denied on alleged security grounds
The International Press Institute urges the U.S State Department to reconsider its decision to deny a visa to independent Colombian journalist Hollman Morris. Morris, who was awarded the prestigious Nieman Fellowship to spend a year at Harvard University, was informed on 16 June that his visa had been rejected under the Patriot Act (2001) because of his alleged terrorist activities.
In a July 7 letter to Arturo Valenzuela, assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, questioning this decision, IPI Director David Dadge said: "Our organization has had a working relationship with Mr. Morris for a number of years and we are surprised and concerned by this decision."
Morris has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Colombian government in recent years. His influential television show, "Contravia," documents the human rights violations resulting from the country's long-running civil conflict. In the course of his reporting, Morris uncovered documents linking Colombian government officials to right-wing paramilitary operations.
His reports on the human costs of the long-running conflict with left-wing guerrilla group FARC have exposed him to repeated harassment from outgoing President Alvaro Uribe's government, which once called him "an ally of terrorism" following his filming, in 2009, of the unilateral release of a number of hostages by FARC.
However, as IPI's letter points out, the Colombian attorney general's office investigated the incident and concluded there was no evidence to support the government's allegation against Morris.
Robert Giles, curator of the Nieman Foundation, was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying that Morris is the first person in Nieman history to be denied the right by the U.S. to participate in the program.
"We are alarmed by the message the U.S government is sending to journalists everywhere with this decision," said Dadge. "Journalists who make contacts with so-called terrorists cannot be automatically assumed to share their views and be labeled security risks. It is an integral part of a journalist's responsibility to provide balance and context to a story."
"We call on the State Department to reverse their decision, and allow Hollman Morris to travel to the United States."
[Source: By Nayana Jayarajan, Press Freedom Adviser, 21Jul10]
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