Mr. Hollman Morris

Mr. Hollman Morris is an accomplished investigative journalist who has spent most of his career covering Colombia’s internal armed conflict, with a particular focus on human rights issues. From 2003 to 2010, he directed the television program Contravía, whose shows continue to spotlight some of the most important human rights cases in Colombia, including the impact of the armed conflict on minorities and marginalized communities. Mr. Morris has been a Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University, as well as the recipient of numerous investigative journalism and human rights awards, including the 2011 Nuremberg International Human Rights Award, the 2007 Iberoamerican Journalist Award, and Human Rights Watch’s 2007 Human Rights Defender Award. He has also twice been nominated Journalist of the Year by Reporters Without Borders and is the author of numerous publications, including Operación Ballena Azul (2000). Between 2005 and 2008, Mr. Morris co-directed the film “Impunity” (along with Juan José Lozano, released in 2010), which explores the impact of paramilitaries on Colombian politics and society. His work is also the subject of the 2008 documentary “Temoin Indesirable” (“Unwanted Witness”). During his fellowship, Mr. Morris plans to work on a written report and video documenting instances of abuse and intimidation in Colombia.

Awards:

International Nuernberg Human Rights Award, 2011.

Presentations:

Intercepting Democracy: Colombia’s Intelligence Service vs. Civil Liberties, National Endowment for Democracy, February 9, 2011. 

Honoring Colombia’s Victims and Human Rights Defenders: An Afternoon in Solidarity with Colombia, Washington Office on Latin America, December 20, 2011. 

Being Watched: Illegal Surveillance in Colombia and Implications for U.S. Assistance, Washington Office on Latin America, October 25, 2011.

Film Screenings:

Suarez Gold – Afro-Colombian Miners Defending their Heritage, Minority Rights Group International, December 9, 2011.

Impunity: What Kind of War for Colombia?, Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Student Programming Board, December 3, 2011.

Impunity: What Kind of War for Colombia?, New England Festival of Ibero-American Cinema, October 1, 2011.

Media Mentions:

Uribe’s Ongoing Terrorizing of Independent Journalists Must be Ended (Legally), Colombia Reports, February 7, 2012.  

Giving a Voice to the Colombian People, CIMA Media Blog, February 06, 2012. 

Award-winning Journalist Hollman Morris Speaks to the Knight Center about his Decision to Return to Colombia, Despite the Risk, Journalism in the Americas Blog, February 6, 2012.