[Manhattan]

First of all, I apologize if there are any mistakes in this as it is my first post contributing to this site, but here it goes:

Two (2) Ecuadorian journalists and their chauffeur from the locally popular newspaper El Comercio were covering a story in rural Colombia, documenting the life of the existing resistance after the dissolution of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias Colombianas (FARC) when they were kidnapped. International pressure was placed on the armed resistance to return the Ecuadorian nationals safe and sound, first from the Colombian and Ecuadorian governments and soon followed with other South American states.

Upon the mounting pressure, the resistance finally decided to run and hide before they were found, but not before getting rid of any witnesses to what they had done.

First is an alive picture of the three in captivity, followed by the images sent to the Colombian government by the resistance to prove their vile executions. The pictures have been since confirmed authentic.

[Pink_spyder]

Awesome first post, Manhattan!
Interesting story and great pics!
Keep up the good work...

[nowheretorun56]

Great first post. Thanks.

[vagabond]

Good find!

[Bletch]

Joining the crowd, great post!

[hca66]

Thanks..excellent start..and set

[minka1]

was the point of kidnapping them to begin with? WTH? Terrible.

[booboo2718]

Nice pic set and explanation. Good first post!

[kellyhound]

Originally Posted by minka1 ↗

was the point of kidnapping them to begin with? WTH? Terrible.

The group that killed the journalists, the Oliver Sinisterra Front, is a faction, believed to be headed by a former FARC commander known as “El Guacho,” who leads several dozen rebels in the Colombian jungles.

According to El Comercio, the journalists and their driver were kidnapped in late March when they were reporting a story in the northern province of Esmeraldas, which borders one of Colombia’s most conflicted coca-producing regions.

The group were investigating the rising crime in the area, which was spilling into Ecuador and had included the bombing of a police station, in January, and other deadly attacks since.

On April 3, RCN Radio, one of the main networks in Colombia, released a so-called proof-of-life video of the three abducted people, in which they spoke of their captors’ demands, including the release of unidentified prisoners held in Ecuador, in exchange for their own lives.

In the 22-second clip, the three embraced each other and were chained together.

“Lenín Moreno, our lives are in your hands,” said Mr. Ortega.

On Wednesday, the Oliver Sinisterra Front issued a statement announcing the prisoners’ deaths. The group asserted that the two governments had conducted military operations near where the rebels were holding the hostages, “which produced the deaths of the journalists and the driver.”

The communiqué resulted in a confused response from both Colombia and Ecuador, which said they knew of no rescue operation. Ecuador’s government initially said there was no evidence they had been killed.

But on Thursday, photos began to circulate of what appeared to be the bodies of the hostages. They were facedown in the jungle, lifeless and still in chains.

[kellyhound]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

On April 3, RCN Radio, one of the main networks in Colombia, released a so-called proof-of-life video of the three abducted people, in which they spoke of their captors’ demands, including the release of unidentified prisoners held in Ecuador, in exchange for their own lives.

In the 22-second clip, the three embraced each other and were chained together.

“Lenín Moreno, our lives are in your hands,” said Mr. Ortega.