BOGOTA, Feb 14 (Reuters) - A Colombian journalist who went missing after he was accused by the government of taking part in guerrilla attacks said on Wednesday he was being framed, according to a statement on his network's Web site. Freddy Munoz, a correspondent for the Venezuelan-financed Telesur news station, was arrested in November on charges that he helped Marxist rebels bomb utility towers in Colombia. He was released, but ordered rearrested on new evidence. His statement followed the publication by several Colombian news outlets of a photograph that appears to show Munoz standing, rifle in hand, with members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in a secret jungle camp. Munoz denied reports that he had fled the country, but said he is in hiding after receiving death threats from right-wing paramilitaries. He said authorities were trumping up evidence against him. "I have seen and even done better photograph manipulations than this one... what an absurd way to revive a criminalization," his statement said. "I urge the national ombudsman to guarantee our right to life, to due process and freedom of expression." Munoz's arrest drew criticism from press watchdogs, including the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, which said they feared he could face unfair prosecution for his reporting on rebel organizations. Munoz, 36, has been under investigation for three years over his suspected involvement in rebel attacks in the Colombian cities of Barranquilla and Cartagena. He faces terrorism and rebellion charges. Telesur, which was started by leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, has defended Munoz and charged that his arrest was a blow to freedom of expression. The government of conservative Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has said Munoz's arrest had nothing to do with his work as a journalist.
