Miami (March 10, 2026) — The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) welcomed the call for applications for the first edition of the honorary fellowship “Julio Daniel Chaparro Hurtado and Jorge Enrique Torres Navas: What Violence Took Away,” an initiative aimed at preserving the memory of the two Colombian journalists who were murdered on April 24, 1991, while carrying out reporting duties in Segovia, Antioquia.
The announcement was made during a panel discussion featuring Daniel Chaparro, son of journalist Julio Daniel Chaparro Hurtado and advisor to the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), representing the Chaparro and Torres families; photojournalist Francisco Carranza; journalist Ignacio Gómez; and moderator Diana Díaz Soto of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge.
During the event, participants reviewed the historical context in which the journalists were killed and the significance of the case for the history of Colombian journalism. In a collegial atmosphere, Carranza and Gómez, contemporaries of Chaparro and Torres, shared memories and anecdotes from their work alongside the journalists.
Gómez noted that “the murders of Julio Daniel and Jorge caused a serious rupture” in Colombian journalism and highlighted the profound impact the crime had on journalists working in rural areas of the country. Carranza, for his part, respectfully recalled the way Torres carried out his photographic work in the field and the risks he faced in his profession.
Chaparro explained that the fellowship goes beyond a measure of reparation and also seeks to underscore that “the double homicide dealt a blow that left a great void in journalism.” He added that the initiative invites an exercise in memory and reflection on what narrative journalism lost with the killing of Julio Daniel Chaparro and what photojournalism was deprived of with the death of Jorge Enrique Torres.
The fellowship is part of the reparation measures agreed upon in an Amicable Settlement Agreement signed on April 23, 2025, before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in the case of poet and journalist Chaparro Hurtado and photographer Torres Navas. In that agreement, the Colombian state acknowledged its international responsibility for the lack of due diligence in the investigation of the crime.
The initiative includes six financial grants for journalistic projects in three categories: regional narrative journalism; photojournalism or documentary photography; and new formats in journalism and popular or community communication. The program aims to encourage the production of stories from regions of Colombia where journalism faces barriers, silence, or contexts of violence.
The IAPA, which together with FLIP acts as a petitioner organization in the case before the IACHR, noted that this call constitutes a measure of satisfaction aimed at preserving the victims’ memory, promoting guarantees of non-repetition, and strengthening journalism.
Applications will be open until March 18, 2026, and the selected projects must be completed before November 2026. This will be the first of at least three editions planned under the reparation measure. To apply, applicants may access the call through the following link.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.