few of his high-up officials, had hired militia leaders to kill Rivas with the reward for $68,000. A militia leader by the name of Bedoya later admitted his participation as a material author in Riva's death. Ardila was sentenced to 28 years and eight months in prison and Lizcano and Tobón were each sentenced to 26 years and eight months in prison. Along with imprisonment, the mayor was also fined 1,192 million pesos (US $531,000). The case continued in 2016, with the arrest of Elkin Bueno Altahona, a.k.a., "Ernesto Báez," who was the mayor of Barrancabermeja mayor until 2015 and president of the Colombian Federation of Municipalities, on suspicion of being at a meeting where Rivas's murder was discussed and receiving financial support for one of his political campaigns. Context Armed paramilitary groups threaten journalists in Colombia and were hired for Riva's murder by the town's mayor at the time. This shows how easy it is for someone of power to hire a paramilitary group to do a job. Due to impunity, it is still dangerous for journalists in Colombia. Although they are doing their job by stating their political opinions, like Rivas when he called the mayor a "plunderer", there are very few cases reported that have been brought to justice after death threats and murders to a journalist. Impact The Rivas case affected Colombia because it was the first case of a journalist killing in a long time that someone was found responsible for the death. From 1994-2009 there were 57 journalists killed and of those 57, over 70 percent of them went unpunished. The impunity, exemption from punishment, in Colombia is said to be one of the highest and is still a threat. Reactions The Inter American Press Association found reason to be "optimistic" about the convictions in Rivas's case. The Committee to Protect Journalists released a statement after the case was resolved in the courts: "We welcome the sentencing of these three former officials for plotting the murder of José Emeterio Rivas. This is the first time in recent Colombian history that the masterminds of a journalist's murder were effectively prosecuted and punished. We commend the attorney general's office and its human rights unit for taking this crucial step forward in the campaign to end impunity in the murders of journalists around the world." See also Human rights in Colombia References External links The Journalists Memorial