Escobar souvenirs may be banned

Souvenirs depicting the late drug lord Pablo Escobar should be banned in Colombia, according to a new bill.

According to the bill, whoever sells souvenirs depicting Escobar or other criminals must be fined the equivalent of 18,000 Swedish kronor. Even people who wear caps, t-shirts and other garments with the drug baron’s image should be fined.

The proposal has received both rice and praise: For souvenir sellers, it is a major source of income.

– Many people make a living from this, says Rafael Nieto, who sells fridge magnets and t-shirts with a picture of Pablo Escobar’s Colombian ID card.

He says the souvenirs are in high demand by tourists from the United States, Europe and other Latin American countries. Banning the sale is an attempt to limit freedom of expression, he believes.

Those who are in favor of the ban, on the other hand, believe that it is time to wash away the country’s reputation as a hangout for mafia bosses.

– There are other ways to sell our country to the world, says Cristian Avendaño from Colombia’s Green Party, which drafted the bill.

The party also wants the Colombian government to investigate how many people make a living selling Escobar goods and how much the market is worth.

The bill must be approved by Congress before it can take effect.

Pablo Escobar was the leader of the so-called Medellín cartel and is said to have ordered the murder of around 4,000 people. He was shot dead in 1993.