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Original article: La maquinaria del miedo de De la Espriella: investigaciones periodísticas denuncian desinformación, compra de votos y discursos de odio en Colombia

Recent investigative journalism has thrust the presidential candidacy of far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella into the spotlight in Colombia, revealing alleged schemes of electoral fraud, misinformation, and a rhetoric that incites hatred.

Reports from the investigative program Señal Investigativa, aired on Señal Colombia and published by Revista Raya, have uncovered a coordinated operation aimed at instilling panic among voters. This strategy reportedly involves the widespread dissemination of false content and misleading messages, utilizing tools such as illegal database access, identity impersonation, and the installation of billboards that portray political rivals as guerrilla fighters.

The findings by journalists are alarming. It has been documented that the allegedly illicit collection of personal data from over 1.4 million citizens, including active members of the security forces, has taken place. This information has reportedly been used to bombard mobile phones with political propaganda, as noted by TeleSUR.

In the Caribbean coast, particularly in Barranquilla, Atlántico, evidence points to a clientelist machine operating from local power structures. Municipal employees allegedly received orders to gather votes, with quotas ranging from 20 to 100 ballots, under threats of retaliation if they failed to meet the targets, creating a scenario of workplace coercion.

The shadow of hate and intimidation extends to the academic realm, a traditionally critical sector. Five higher education institutions, both public and private, received explicit threat emails signed by an account linked to the Salvación Nacional movement.

The messages warned of a «cleaning» campaign against opponents of the candidate. This effort to silence dissenting voices is complemented by the discovery of WhatsApp groups formed by retired military and police, dedicated to spreading audiovisual content loaded with hateful messages specifically designed to instill fear in the electorate.

Vote Buying Through the «Mochila» Method

In the heart of the Caribbean region, allegations of vote buying threaten to influence the outcome of the ballot scheduled for this Sunday, June 21. According to the cited media outlet, lawyer Miguel Ángel del Río has filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office pointing to the operations of the so-called «Gnecco clan» to favor De la Espriella in Cesar, a key department for the electoral outcome.

 The methodology used is known as «mochila», a historical corruption practice whereby intermediaries, referred to as «mochileros,» collect blocks of votes in exchange for money. The complaint filed with the Prosecutor’s Office aims to dismantle these structures, which represent a threat to the legitimacy of the voting process rather than being an isolated incident.

A disturbing judicial precedent raised by the investigative reports links De la Espriella to paramilitarism. The former leader of the AUC, Pablo Hernán Sierra, alias «Pipintá,» submitted a letter to the IACHR and the House’s Accusations Commission, in which he incriminates the candidate of the so-called Defenders of the Homeland movement as presumed link in a plot to bribe Constitutional Court magistrates in 2006. The objective of that operation was to ensure legal benefits for the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, a confession that, if true, would demonstrate a dangerous collusion between politics and paramilitary groups that have plagued the country.

Petro: «Lies and Criminal Propaganda are Funded from Abroad»

The seriousness of the revelations has escalated to the highest level of the Colombian State. President Gustavo Petro denounced via his social media that this «lying and criminal» propaganda is financed from abroad, specifically from Miami, to hide its true cost on campaign accounts. The president indicated that a fund established in that U.S. city, in which the mayor of Medellín is allegedly a partner, receives contributions from Colombian and foreign entrepreneurs driven by opposition to change policies. This external interference, according to Petro, aims to undermine Colombian democracy by attacking figures such as presidential candidate of the Historical Pact, Iván Cepeda, who he described as a peacebuilder.

«I have said this multiple times, this propaganda follows Goebbels’ advice to Hitler. With the lie repeated over and over, and the fear instilled in the population, they aim to come to power,» he warned.

La entrada De la Espriella’s Fear Campaign: Investigative Reports Uncover Misinformation, Vote Buying, and Hate Speech in Colombia se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.