Revealed: Findings from journalist Rafael Moreno’s investigations uncovered after his assassination in Colombia.
Rafael Moreno, a Colombian journalist, was assassinated on October 16th for his investigative work that uncovered corruption, including embezzlement in public contracts and illegal resource extraction.
A team of journalists, including Jowhar, came together to form The Rafael Project to complete his work and ensure that his stories remain alive.
Moreno, who worked as the director of online news outlet Voces de Cordoba, regularly exposed corruption, embezzlement, and the activities of illegal armed groups in the violent and marginalized parts of northern Colombia’s Cordoba department.
A month prior to his death, Moreno accused the Colombian government of withdrawing his protection, which had been provided to him after receiving threats related to his work.
He was investigating the installation of a mine on property belonging to a senator, where resources were being extracted for public construction projects, when he was killed.
A few days before his death, Moreno contacted Forbidden Stories, an international consortium of investigative journalists, and offered to protect the work of colleagues under threat.
He informed the group that he wanted his investigations to be pursued and published worldwide if anything happened to him. For the first time, Forbidden Stories pursued the work of a journalist following their murder.
A group of 30 reporters co-ordinated by Forbidden Stories has taken over Moreno’s investigations for the last six months.
Journalists from and its sister service, Radio France International, examined hundreds of documents and emails not made public by Moreno, uncovering a system of widespread clientelism and endemic corruption.
On April 18th at 6:00 pm Paris time (GMT+2), will broadcast the results of the investigation, along with 31 other media outlets.
The Rafael Project sends a clear message to killers of journalists in Colombia and elsewhere that killing a journalist won’t kill the story.
