Former graphic designer, born 1981 in Bogotá. I was part of equinoXio digital magazine (in Spanish) as a deputy editor. I'm also a translator for Global Voices en Español.
Latest posts by Julián Ortega Martínez
Colombia: The Brutal Rape and Murder of Rosa Elvira Cely
Colombian netizens were moved and outraged when they found out about the brutal rape and murder of 35-year-old Rosa Elvira Cely. Hundreds of people attended a demonstration to demand justice, using hashtags like #RosaElviraCely and #NiUnaMás ("not one more").
Colombia: Bomb Blast Targeted at Controversial Former Minister
A bomb blast targeting former interior Minister Fernando Londoño Hoyos, a conservative lawyer and politician, left several dead and others injured. This attempt prompted thousands of reactions on social networks.
Colombia: Telework Law or Microsoft Law?
lncognito wonders what is behind [es] the ‘telework law’ (Decreto 884 de 2012 [es], which regulates the Ley 1228 de 2008 [es]), signed by President Juan Manuel Santos at the headquarters of Microsoft Colombia [es], and whose official website [es] seems to be sponsored by the Labour Ministry and the...
Colombia: 12-Year-Old Boy Bullied at School Dies
A 12 year old who had been bullied for defending a classmate passed away last week. Although forensics ruled the cause of death was bone infection, his mother and some physicians rejected the ruling and claim bullying was the ultimate cause of the boy's death. Colombian netizens react to the boy's death.
Colombia: Nostalgia for 1990s Peruvian TV
In the 1990s, cable television was too expensive for most Colombians, who resorted to cheap satellite dish services colloquially known as perubólicas [es] (a portmanteau of Peru and [antenas] parabólicas), because they carried virtually all Peruvian networks. On the night of April 4, 2012, hundreds of Colombian Twitter users recalled...
Colombia: 10 ‘Last’ Armed Forces Hostages Released by FARC
On Monday April 2, four soldiers and six policemen kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were released. In February the group had announced that they would abandon kidnappings and release the remaining hostages.
Colombia: A “Football for All” Bill Proposed in Congress
Since the biggest TV cable operators could not reach a deal with the Colombian football administration for the rights of the domestic tournament matches until 2016, a Senator proposed a bill in order to break the “monopoly,” so the matches can be broadcast on over-the-air channels (only one of the...
Panama City Mayor Resigns
The resignation of the Mayor of the capital city of Panama marked the start of the 2012 political intrigues, prompting all kinds of reactions on social networks, from those who agree with the Mayor's decision, to those who see the action as an abuse of power by President Martinelli.
Colombia: Professor's Resignation Sparks Debate on Writing
Colombian journalist and university professor Camilo Jiménez sparked an international debate on writing in the digital age, Colombia's higher education system and other related issues after he posted an entry in his blog explaining why he resigned from teaching an editing class after nine years.
Colombia: Outrage at Conservative Politician over Remarks about Rape and Abortion
On Tuesday October 11, Conservative politician Enrique Gómez Hurtado's statements about abortion caused outrage among Colombian Twitter users. Gómez supports a legislative act to reform an article in the Constitution in order to outlaw abortion under all circumstances.
Colombia: #Corzotón Protest Against the President of the Congress
Using Storify, journalist Lina Ceballos looks [es] at “why Colombians got excited on Twitter about the #Corzotón“, a protest against Juan Manuel Corzo –president of the Congress whose remarks caused outrage some days ago– since the protest's ‘offline’ version last September 27 was not as successful as expected. Ceballos claims...
Colombia: Outrage at President of Congress Over Oil Subsidy
Last week, Juan Manuel Corzo, Senator and president of Colombia's Congress, caused outrage on social networks when he tried to justify a fuel subsidy for congresspeople. The issue became "personal" when Senator Corzo declared that Twitter users criticizing him were being "rude," adding: "I'd rather not steal from the State and that [others] pay for my gasoline."
Colombia: The Abortion Debate
Amidst the ongoing debate prompted by a Conservative bill aiming to outlaw abortion in all cases, Javier Moreno debunks [es] one of the arguments (a poorly referenced academic text) by columnist and former Congressman Nicolás Uribe Rueda [es] and voices his opinion about such debate. Meanwhile, Aleyda writes [es] about...
Colombia: ‘Padding Journalism’
In the wake of the death of singer Joe Arroyo, Colombian news channel NTN24 featured reactions with actresses, models, and former beauty queens in English on its website. The video featuring model and presenter Carolina Cruz was heavily mocked on blogs and social media. Journalist Carolina Ruiz questions [es] the...
Colombia: Challenges of the Victims’ Law
Paula Delgado-King writes about some of the challenges the recently approved Victims’ Law faces: “the process needs to provide loans and credits, guidance for which crops and animals are most suitable where, and access to markets,” and that “the law has no accompanying truth commission to create a national conscience...
Colombia: On Independence Day
Colombia celebrates its 201st birthday on July 20. Guapacho writes about this year's Google Doodle [es]; Triana remembers [es] José María Espinosa, one of the first Colombian cartoonists; and Julián Rosero Navarrete argues [es] that the “independence” was actually a “secession war” among Spaniards from both sides of the Atlantic.
Colombia: Police Evict 5,400 Squatter Farm Workers
Blueandtanit writes [es] about the eviction of 5,400 homeless farm workers by anti-riot police. The farm workers had occupied farmlands and roads in Urabá (Antioquia department in north western Colombia) early last week. She is concerned about the media coverage of the issue, which treats the squatters as “alleged peasants,”...
Colombia: Controversy Over Photos of Minors Published by Adult Magazine
An article, titled "Let the children come to me" (referencing Mark 10:14), which includes photos from an exhibition by photographer Mauricio Vélez depicting staged scenes of nude underage boys (or models pretending to be minors) being watched by actors dressed as Catholic priests has caused controversy both offline and online.
Colombia: Columnist Threatens to Sue Twitter User for Slander
Political website La Silla Vacía summarizes [es] the online fight between columnist Ernesto Yamhure (@eyamhure), a staunch supporter of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez, and Twitter user Nicolás González (@nicoagonzalez). González criticized Yamhure's latest op-ed [es] where he mentions a character played by late comedian Jaime Garzón, claiming [es] the...
Latin America: On teleSUR's Coverage of Libya Uprising
Latin American news channel teleSUR managed earlier this week to send several journalists into Tripoli to cover the ongoing uprising in Libya. Nonetheless, its coverage, which seems quite different to the one provided by other international news media, has caught the attention of many Latin American netizens.
Colombia: Outrage after failed FARC hostage release
On December 8, 2010, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced they would release five hostages in an open letter to former senator Piedad Córdoba. However, things did not go as planned on Sunday: two hostages were not present at the coordinates provided by FARC. Many Colombian Twitter users expressed their outrage as a result.
