Human Trafficking and César Mauricio Velásquez: From the Presidential Palace to a Criminal Conviction
By Staff Writer For years, César Mauricio Velásquez was one of the most influential communications officials in the administration of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez. A journalist by training, academic, and senior government official, his career took him from university classrooms and newsrooms to the highest levels of the Colombian Presidency. Born in Medellín, Velásquez studied Journalism and Mass Communication at Universidad de La Sabana. He later completed graduate studies in television and international relations. Before joining the government, he worked as a political journalist, university professor, dean of the School of Communication at Universidad de La Sabana, president of the Bogotá Journalists’ Association (CPB), and later served as Colombia’s Ambassador to the Holy See. In 2007, he was appointed Presidential Press Secretary , becoming one of the principal public spokespersons for the Uribe administration during a period marked by intense institutional co...