William Parra (journalist) explained

William Eduardo Parra Jaimes (b. 1966) is a Colombian journalist.^[1]

Career

He has worked for Caracol Radio, Reuters, and RCN TV, and in the 1990s was press secretary for then-Colombian President Ernesto Samper.^[2] He worked for TeleSUR full-time from 2006 to 2008, and subsequently as a freelance journalist.^[3] Parra currently has political asylum in Venezuela, after being charged in Colombia with links with the FARC rebels. Parra denies the accusations, and said in September that his lawyers had received death threats.^{[4] [5]}

Parra was kidnapped for 10 days in December 1997,^[6] by men claiming to be members of the Medellin cartel.^[7] Arrests were later made of members of Jaime Bateman Cayon's rebel group.^[8] In 2000 he fled to Spain following death threats, and in 2005 he was attacked and seriously injured near Bogota.^[9]

On 25 September, he interviewed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.^[10]

External links

• William Parra: I am innocent and as such I will prove it to justice, Radio Nacional de Venezuela, 8 September 2010

Notes and References

1. Semana, 11 September 2010, ¿Periodista guerrillero?
2. Associated Press, 10 September 2010, Colombia orders arrest of reporter in rebel case
3. CNN, 8 September 2010, Colombian journalist wanted for rebel ties
4. amerika21.de, 12 September 2010, William Parra: Morddrohungen gegen Anwälte
5. EFE, El Espectador, 10 September 2010, "La inteligencia militar busca asfixiarme profesionalmente" William Parra
6. Washington Post, 14 December 1997, Rebels Release Colombian Official
7. Manila Standard, Dec 7, 1997, Presidential press secretary, radio journalist kidnapped
8. Florida Sun-Sentinel, Dec 25, 1997, Kidnap Suspects Arrested
9. Le Nouvel Observateur, 25 May 2005, Un journaliste de Reuters attaqué et blessé (archived)
10. Cubadebate, 26 September 2013, Entrevista del canal Telesur a Bashar al-Assad