Hernando Calvo Ospina
Encyclopedia
Hernando Calvo Ospina (June 6, 1961, Cali
, Colombia) is a Colombian journalist and writer. He lives in France.
, Ecuador, Hernando Calvo Ospina, was detained and "disappeared". It was reported to the Constitutional Court of that country and Amnesty International
that he initially spent three days handcuffed and foot cuffed as well as blind-folded. During that time he was not permitted to sleep, he was not fed and they scarcely gave him water. Through his kidnappers he learnt that he had been captured during a joint operative of the Colombia-Ecuadorian military intelligence. He was being accused of belonging to the Colombian guerrilla. He was transferred to the SIC (Police Crime Investigation Service) in the boot of a car, still hand and foot cuffed and blindfolded. He was brutally tortured, beaten and given electric shocks for five days. He was fed some bread and left-overs from the Officers Social Club canteen. After they established he had no relation with any subversive organization, on 4 October he was sent to prison, he spent there around three months without trial. Facing a massive international pressure, the government had to release him even though they put him on a plane to fly directly to Lima
, Peru, on 28 December 1985, where he lived for 2 months, under the protection of UNHCR – United Nations Refugee Agency. The government of Alan García considered him persona non-grata and demanded him to leave the country. He arrived in Paris under the protection of the French government on 15 March 1985.
He survived in France cleaning offices before taking up again his profession as a journalist.
He has been a volleyball referee and coach and also a passionate dancer and collector of salsa music
.
He has written several books; all translated into different languages (see the Bibliography).
He is a permanent contributor to the French monthly Le Monde diplomatique
, he has taken part in documentaries for TV channels, the British BBC
, the French-German ARTE
and the German ADR
.
He has shared lectures with outstanding personalities such as Fidel Castro Ruz, and the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Frias. Among the politicians he has interviewed is the Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa
.
As a journalist he has also interviewed several Colombian Guerrilla leaders such as Raul Reyes
(†) from FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombian) and Manuel Perez Martinez (†) head of ELN
(National Liberation Army).
In order to write his book Don Pablo Escobar, he spent several days with members of the so called Medellín Cartel
. When he was doing Peru, the possible paths he interviewed various army generals and members and supporters of the Shining Path
Organization. In Miami and New York he interviewed the leaders of Cuban organizations that have been identified as responsible of terrorist crimes. These interviews were published in The Cuban Exile Movement.
In January 2005 the documentary The Secret of the Bat: Bacardi between Rum and Revolution where Calvo Ospina took part received the Bronze World Medal at the New York Film Festival
. It is based on his book "Bacardi, the Hidden War".
In 2005, Calvo Ospina was nominated for the European Commission
"Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize" for his article "Private War in Colombia" which appeared in Le Monde Diplomatique in November 2004.
On 5 February 2009 he gave a speech about "The Private Army Societies in Colombia" during the Study Workshops on "The Privatization of Violence" organized by the Centre of Research of Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan (CREC), which is the High Studies College for French Army Officers.
He is a researcher and reporter of the terrorism of state in Colombia as well as the aggressive American policy, mainly against Latin America. He discovered in 2009 that he was in a No Fly List
of the USA authorities when the plane he had boarded received the prohibition to overfly the American aerospace "due to national security reasons".
He does not hide his liking for the Cuban Revolution
neither for the Bolivarian Revolution
in Venezuela nor for the process of changes that President Evo Morales
is developing in Bolivia
. He insists there must be a negotiable political solution for the internal conflict in Colombia.
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
, Colombia) is a Colombian journalist and writer. He lives in France.
Life and work
On September 1985 while he was studying journalism at the Central University of QuitoQuito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
, Ecuador, Hernando Calvo Ospina, was detained and "disappeared". It was reported to the Constitutional Court of that country and Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
that he initially spent three days handcuffed and foot cuffed as well as blind-folded. During that time he was not permitted to sleep, he was not fed and they scarcely gave him water. Through his kidnappers he learnt that he had been captured during a joint operative of the Colombia-Ecuadorian military intelligence. He was being accused of belonging to the Colombian guerrilla. He was transferred to the SIC (Police Crime Investigation Service) in the boot of a car, still hand and foot cuffed and blindfolded. He was brutally tortured, beaten and given electric shocks for five days. He was fed some bread and left-overs from the Officers Social Club canteen. After they established he had no relation with any subversive organization, on 4 October he was sent to prison, he spent there around three months without trial. Facing a massive international pressure, the government had to release him even though they put him on a plane to fly directly to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru, on 28 December 1985, where he lived for 2 months, under the protection of UNHCR – United Nations Refugee Agency. The government of Alan García considered him persona non-grata and demanded him to leave the country. He arrived in Paris under the protection of the French government on 15 March 1985.
He survived in France cleaning offices before taking up again his profession as a journalist.
He has been a volleyball referee and coach and also a passionate dancer and collector of salsa music
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
.
He has written several books; all translated into different languages (see the Bibliography).
He is a permanent contributor to the French monthly Le Monde diplomatique
Le Monde diplomatique
Le Monde diplomatique is a monthly newspaper offering analysis and opinion on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first created mainly for a diplomatic audience as its name implies...
, he has taken part in documentaries for TV channels, the British BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, the French-German ARTE
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
and the German ADR
ADR
ADR is a three-letter initialism that may refer to:* Académie de Roberval, a school in Montreal, Canada* Accident Data Recorder* short for Accord européen relatif au transport international des marchandises dangereuses par route, also known as the European Agreement concerning the International...
.
He has shared lectures with outstanding personalities such as Fidel Castro Ruz, and the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Frias. Among the politicians he has interviewed is the Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa
Rafael Correa
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado born is the President of the Republic of Ecuador and was the president pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations. An economist educated in Ecuador, Belgium and the United States, he was elected President in late 2006 and took office in January 2007...
.
As a journalist he has also interviewed several Colombian Guerrilla leaders such as Raul Reyes
Raúl Reyes
Luis Edgar Devia Silva , better known by his nom de guerre Raúl Reyes, was a Secretariat member, spokesperson, and advisor to the Southern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-EP...
(†) from FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombian) and Manuel Perez Martinez (†) head of ELN
ELN
ELN may refer to:*Equity-linked note, a financial instrument*Elastin, a protein*Ejército de Liberación Nacional, see**National Liberation Army **National Liberation Army **National Liberation Army...
(National Liberation Army).
In order to write his book Don Pablo Escobar, he spent several days with members of the so called Medellín Cartel
Medellín Cartel
The Medellín Cartel was an organized network of "drug suppliers and smugglers" originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The drug cartel operated in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Central America, the United States, as well as Canada and Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded and...
. When he was doing Peru, the possible paths he interviewed various army generals and members and supporters of the Shining Path
Shining Path
Shining Path is a Maoist guerrilla terrorist organization in Peru. The group never refers to itself as "Shining Path", and as several other Peruvian groups, prefers to be called the "Communist Party of Peru" or "PCP-SL" in short...
Organization. In Miami and New York he interviewed the leaders of Cuban organizations that have been identified as responsible of terrorist crimes. These interviews were published in The Cuban Exile Movement.
In January 2005 the documentary The Secret of the Bat: Bacardi between Rum and Revolution where Calvo Ospina took part received the Bronze World Medal at the New York Film Festival
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
. It is based on his book "Bacardi, the Hidden War".
In 2005, Calvo Ospina was nominated for the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
"Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize" for his article "Private War in Colombia" which appeared in Le Monde Diplomatique in November 2004.
On 5 February 2009 he gave a speech about "The Private Army Societies in Colombia" during the Study Workshops on "The Privatization of Violence" organized by the Centre of Research of Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan (CREC), which is the High Studies College for French Army Officers.
He is a researcher and reporter of the terrorism of state in Colombia as well as the aggressive American policy, mainly against Latin America. He discovered in 2009 that he was in a No Fly List
No Fly List
The No Fly List is a list, created and maintained by the United States government's Terrorist Screening Center , of people who are not permitted to board a commercial aircraft for travel in or out of the United States. The list has also been used to divert away from U.S. airspace aircraft not...
of the USA authorities when the plane he had boarded received the prohibition to overfly the American aerospace "due to national security reasons".
He does not hide his liking for the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
neither for the Bolivarian Revolution
Bolivarian Revolution
The “Bolivarian Revolution” refers to a leftist social movement and political process in Venezuela led by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, the founder of the Fifth Republic Movement...
in Venezuela nor for the process of changes that President Evo Morales
Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , is a Bolivian politician and activist, currently serving as the 80th President of Bolivia, a position that he has held since 2006. He is also the leader of both the Movement for Socialism party and the cocalero trade union...
is developing in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. He insists there must be a negotiable political solution for the internal conflict in Colombia.
External links
- http://hcalvospina.free.fr/spip.php?rubrique20