Editor’s Remains Are Identified in Colombia

The dismembered remains of a Colombian journalist were identified by relatives seven days after he disappeared, a colleague of the veteran newsman said Saturday.

Relatives identified the head of Alejandro Jaramillo, 67, at a morgue in Pasto on Friday, his colleague Ramiro Eggas said. Jaramillo’s torso was found floating in the La Loma River.

He was the fifth Colombian journalist to be killed this year, according to the Inter-American Press Assn.

Police in Pasto said they were investigating but had made no arrests.

Until two months ago, Jaramillo was deputy editor of Diaro del Sur, the main newspaper in Pasto, 370 miles southwest of the capital, Bogota. He disappeared Oct. 24 after leaving his home.

Eggas said he did not know if the journalist had been threatened recently or if he had any enemies.

Jaramillo specialized in investigative journalism, a particularly dangerous profession in Colombia, which is plagued by drug traffickers, leftist rebels, and right wing paramilitary groups.

Meanwhile Saturday, leftist rebels in Colombia freed two election observers and a human rights worker 10 days after kidnapping them as part of a campaign to sabotage October municipal elections.

The National Liberation Army turned over Raul Martinez of Chile and Manfredo Marroquin of Guatemala to government representatives.

“I want to thank the Colombian people for all their demonstrations of solidarity,” Marroquin told Radionet radio. “Now we’re going home.”

A Colombian human rights worker captured with the men was also freed.

The men were kidnapped three days before the Oct. 26 election at a roadblock in Antioquia state. The observers were part of a 35-member Organization of American States team monitoring the vote.

The rebels said they kidnapped the OAS delegates because the regional organization never consulted them before accepting a government request to monitor the vote.