In the days leading up to his death, Rafael Moreno was in touch with Forbidden Stories.
The threats received by the Colombian journalist became increasingly worrying. Because of this, Rafael decided to share the information he was working on with our team. So that his investigation can continue if he is murdered.
On October 16, 2022 at 7:10 p.m., Rafael Moreno was shot multiple times in the northern Colombian city of Montelíbano. A particularly dangerous area dominated by the Clan del Golfo, one of the most powerful cartels in the world.
Immediately after his assassination, dozens of Colombian, South American and international journalists met in Bogotá to organize the continuation of his work.
On October 23, about thirty men and women, all experienced journalists, decided to join forces to pick up where Rafael left off.
Six months after his assassination and coordinated by Forbidden Stories, journalists from CLIP, Cuestión Pública, El Espectador, El País, France 24, RFI and other media publish “Proyecto Rafael”. A collaborative and international investigation that brings to light great insights into the environmental and health impacts of several mining companies in the department of Cordoba, as well as a system of massive favoritism and a likely embezzlement of millions of dollars in government contracts that Rafael Moreno had been closely investigating.
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Like Rafael, dozens of journalists from around the world protect their information and their ongoing investigations thanks to our “SafeBox Network”. This new tool is rapidly spreading around the world. Some of the journalists, such as Alfredo Guachiré in Paraguay, Paola Ugaz in Peru or Haruna Mohammed Salisu in Nigeria, even declare publicly, loud and clear, that for their own safety they have decided to share their ongoing investigations with our consortium. Therefore, killing them will do no good except further expose this disturbing investigation to the world.
With a few days to go before World Press Freedom Day, we must remember that our democracies and every citizen’s right to information are at stake. Continuing the investigation into the murdered journalists is not a brotherly reflex, but our duty to educate the public about these major issues – be they environmental crimes, corruption or human rights abuses – that increasingly threaten journalists.
To Rafael’s killer: you were wrong. Today, 32 media outlets from around the world are publishing the Rafael Project investigations. Killing the messenger does not end the message.
Laurent Richard, is a journalist and director of the consortium Forbidden Stories.
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