Colombia: PEN International condemns the killing of journalist and poet Mateo Pérez Rueda
“The killing of Mateo Pérez is a grave example of the threats journalists face when reporting from territories affected by conflict, where access to information is of vital importance. We call on the Colombian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this terrible crime. No journalist should be killed for attempting to document the reality of their country,’” said Ma Thida, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.
12 May 2026.- PEN International condemns the killing of Colombian journalist and poet Mateo Pérez Rueda and expresses its deep concern over the continued deterioration of safety conditions for journalists in Colombia. The organisation warns that this crime reflects the dangers faced by many local and community journalists in Colombia.
Mateo Pérez Rueda, 25, was the director of the digital media outlet El Confidente, a political science student at the National University of Colombia, and a photographer and a poet who actively participated in literary workshops. Mateo was last seen on 5 May 2026, when he travelled to a rural area of the municipality of Briceño, in northern Antioquia to report on the territory’s security situation. On 8 May 2026, a joint humanitarian mission led by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Ombudsman’s Office of Colombia found the journalist’s body in a rural area of Antioquia.
Mateo Pérez Rueda was a vital voice for his local community, reporting on and covering issues related to administrative corruption, public order, security, and local politics in municipalities across Antioquia, particularly in areas affected by violence and the control of illegal armed groups. Since 2022, organisations such as the Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP) have documented 387 attacks against the press carried out by armed groups, with threats and forced displacement being the primary methods used to impose censorship. With this killing, FLIP has recorded 170 journalists murdered in connection with their work since 1977, including 22 cases in Antioquia.
Mateo’s killing demonstrates how local journalism in Colombia is frequently carried out under extremely difficult conditions, where reporters operate with limited resources and without adequate protection schemes, all while facing severe risks from armed militants and others engaged in illicit enterprises who are willing to use violence to silence those who may expose their activities.
PEN International urges the Colombian authorities to investigate Mateo Pérez’s killing and its connection to his journalistic work, bring those responsible to justice, and adopt effective protection measures for journalists, particularly those working in rural and local communities.
Note to Editors
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