A Bogota court has sentenced former intelligence chief Enrique Ariza to 12 years in prison for his role in the “aggravated torture” of journalist Claudia Julieta Duque, the Colombian public prosecutor’s office announced.
Ariza, who led the now-defunct DAS (Administrative Department of Security) intelligence agency, was convicted of multiple charges including persecution and harassment of Duque, who had been investigating sensitive government-linked cases.
The sentence comes as part of ongoing legal actions, with eight former DAS officials now sentenced for their roles in the persecution of Duque and her family. On Monday, former DAS deputy director José Narváez was also handed a 12-year sentence in the same case. Another former intelligence director, Giancarlo Auque, is awaiting trial.
The journalist, who fled to Spain after years of threats, had been targeted between 2001 and 2004 following her investigation into the 1999 murder of fellow journalist Jaime Garzón, in which she implicated DAS involvement. Duque had been subjected to surveillance and threats, including those to murder her and harm her daughter.