Colombia’s Petro under fire after calling female journalists ‘mafia puppets’

Colombian President Gustavo Petro is facing criticism from press freedom groups after making comments about female reporters, calling them “mafia puppets” in one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, South America.

Petro made this statement without any irony during the installation on August 30 of Iris Marin, the new ombudsman for human rights in Colombia. She is the first woman to hold this position.

Petro, the South American country’s first leftist president, has often been angry at media criticism, accusing it of colluding with armed groups, business magnates and other powerful figures.

Some say he has gone too far in a country where dozens of reports of threats and attacks of various kinds against female journalists are made every year.

In his speech, Petro lashed out at “the (female) journalists of power, the ‘puppets of the mafia'” who he said had pilloried the 2019-2021 protests against the right-wing government before him.

Petro, then a member of parliament, supported these demonstrations.

It is unclear why he specifically targeted female reporters.

Criticism came quickly, and Petro attempted to explain in a statement that he was talking about “female journalists from the establishment… hired by dark forces.” However, this did little to quell the outrage.

Marin later said that there is “no room for stigmatization” of female journalists in Colombia.

“Nothing justifies it.”

– ‘Reinforces gender stereotypes’ –

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) describes Colombia as “one of the most dangerous countries on the continent for journalists”, with two people having been murdered there this year.

According to the FLIP Press Freedom Foundation, Petro’s statements were used as the basis for online content “that is violent or reinforces gender stereotypes.”

The foundation has reported 171 cases of threats and attacks against female reporters since last year, the exact nature of which was not specified.

Petro has at times accused journalists of collaborating with far-right paramilitary groups to “unleash genocide.”

“We are concerned about the tense climate for journalistic work in Colombia, which has been further exacerbated by Petro’s outrageous statements,” said Carlos Jornet of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Petro is not the only Latin American leader who has a hostile relationship with the press.

Other well-known examples include Mexico’s Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador and former presidents such as Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil.

However, the comment about the “dolls” was the Colombian leader’s first attack on journalists based on their gender.

“Stigma kills, shortens lives, shortens dreams, shortens careers…” Colombian journalist and newsreader Claudia Palacios said in a video sent to AFP about Petro’s comments.

Several other news figures condemned the comments, which sparked a heated online debate in the country.

When AFP approached the presidency, it stressed that it “recognises the key role that women journalists play in strengthening democracy and building public debate.”

On Monday, Petro signed a decree — a first for America — that bars officials — including himself — from “stigmatizing” journalists.

But what could have been a moment of reconciliation was marred when the president used the launch to once again criticize none other than the media.

In his speech, Petro accused journalists of smearing him for defending himself against the “slander” in the media.

“A missed opportunity,” said FLIP director Jonathan Bock afterwards.

A petition was filed on Tuesday with Colombia’s Council of State, the highest court for administrative affairs, to order Petro to apologize for his statements about the “puppets of the mafia.”

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