Silvia Margarita Duzán Sáenz (January 23, 1960 – February 26, 1990) was a Colombian journalist who was assassinated by paramilitary forces in the Third Cimitarra Massacre.

Biography

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Silvia Duzán was born in Bogotá in 1960. Her father was the columnist Lucio Duzán, and her sister María Jimena Duzán also became a journalist.[1][2] Silvia Duzán studied economics at the University of the Andes, where she and her sister founded a student publication, and at the University of Oxford.[3] She married young, to the older economist Salomón Kalmanovitz [es].[3][4]

After the paramilitary group Muerte a Secuestradores attacked journalists at the newspaper El Espectador, Duzán began to pursue journalism, writing for both El Espectador and other publications.[3][4] She reported on gang activity in Bogotá, Medellín, and the Chocó forests, particularly via documentary filmmaking.[3]

At the time of her death, Duzán was working on a documentary for the BBC about the Association of Peasant Workers of the Carare (ATCC), one of the first peace organizations in Colombia.[2][3]

Death

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On February 26, 1990, Duzán was assassinated in the restaurant La Tata in Cimitarra, Santander Department, where she was meeting with regional peasant leaders.[1][2][5] Despite warnings of a possible attack, they were taken by surprise by three paramilitary fighters, who carried out the Third Cimitarra Massacre. Duzán was injured in the attack, and died in a nearby hospital. The ATCC's Josué Vargas, Miguel Ángel Barajas, and Saúl Castañeda were killed alongside her.[1][2][5]

Aftermath

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Thirty-seven people were investigated in the massacre, including the paramilitary fighter Hermógenes Mosquera, a.k.a. Mojao, who was close to the Middle Magdalena Valley paramilitary leader Henry Pérez [es]. Others who were investigated included Ramón Isaza, commander of the Autodefensas Campesinas de Magdalena Medio [es] group, and Ernesto Báez. In 1992, the Autodefensas Campesinas del Magdalena Medio claimed responsibility for this and other attacks, and announced the execution of Ariel Otero [es] for them.[4]

Her death was declared a crime against humanity in 2020.[1][2]

Homages

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  • Silvia Duzán's sister María Jimena Duzán wrote the book Mi viaje al infierno (2010) about her death.[2]
  • Sergio Cabrera's film La Estrategia del Caracol, which Duzán had been working on for many years, includes a dedication to her.[3]
  • In 2015, a Punto de Articulación Social in Fontibón, Bogotá, was named for her.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Declaran como crimen de lesa humanidad el asesinato de Silvia Duzán". Caracol Radio (in Spanish). 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Crimen de Silvia Duzán declarado de lesa humanidad". KienyKe (in Spanish). 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Atehortúa, Adrián (2019-04-08). "Silvia, mi hermana: memorias de María Jimena Duzán". Hacemos Memoria (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  4. ^ a b c "Silvia Margarita Duzán, periodista asesinada". Verdad Abierta (in Spanish). 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  5. ^ a b Jules, Javier (2020-02-26). "El crimen no resuelto de la periodista Silvia Duzán, asesinada mientras hacía su trabajo". RCN Radio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-13.