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Four subpoenas requesting their presence at the facilities of the Ayacucho Battalion in Manizales has sent the legal coordination of this institution to the journalist Adriana Villegas Botero, author of the opinion column ‘It’s not a joke, it’s violence’, published in the newspaper Homeland from Manizales on October 18 and for which the songs that the soldiers sing in the country and that would promote violence against women were questioned.
The journalist spoke with EL TIEMPO and assured that the measure, which is part of a disciplinary process that is being carried out in the institution, is a bad message for the freedom of the press and opinion, as it could become intimidating.
“I understand the argument that all Colombians must be witnesses when requested and the fact of being a journalist does not exempt me from that, but I observe that every day in the media colleagues make complaints that involve institutions and subsequent actions focus on verifying information and facts and not on quoting journalists. This may be legal, but it doesn’t mean it’s intimidating. “Villegas noted.
(We suggest you read: The columnist author that sparked controversy over military songs speaks)
According to Villegas, Everything he knows about the content of the songs that he published in his column has already been reflected in it and he has nothing more to say about it. He assured that, if this were the usual procedure, every eight days – frequency of his column – he would have to declare.
At the moment, the summons to the statement was postponed until January 14, after FLIP requested the Attorney General’s Office to assume preferential control of the case.
Given the controversy that the summons unleashed, the commander (e) of the Ayacucho Battalion, Major Moisés David Cortells, indicated that a public statement will be issued in the coming days with which they will refer to the issue.
The Army requested his presence at the facilities of the Ayacucho Battalion in Manizales as a witness to the disciplinary process over these songs; however, this does not mean that it is being investigated.
This may be legal, but it doesn’t mean it’s intimidating
“This can be a way to hinder the work that journalists do, because it can be dissuasive, if these citations were a daily practice, many would refrain from publishing and investigating because they would be complicating their lives “, precise.
Villegas’s message on this requirement, to which The Battalion did not accept that she was accompanied by a representative of the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), considering that everything was part of the investigation reserve, goes further. He not only questions the why of his call, but what he conveys.
(Further: Controversy over military songs that incite violence against women)
“If what they are looking for is for me to point out a person as responsible and find a culprit to exhibit, they are not going to get it because everything I know I already said in my column,” said the writer from Manizales.
Villegas’ position is clear, the purpose of his column was to make visible a situation that exists within the institution and a possible internal review of the issue, for what, he considers, his statement does not have a major interference.
“Here what there is is a theme of institutional culture that has been generalized and repeated for decades and the solution is not punitive, but pedagogical, but for that we have to assume that the problem exists and attend to it ”, he pointed out.
LAURA USMA CARDONA
For THE TIME
Manizales
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