Excmo. Sr. Presidente
Juan Manuel Santos
President of the Republic of Colombia
Estimado Sr. Fiscal General
Eduardo Montealegre
Attorney General of Colombia
Dear Sirs:
We are extremely concerned about the attempt on the life of Maricel Ipia Yenny Luligo, a peasant leader in Cauca Department who is a member of the Board of the Peasant Movement of Cajibio and a member of the Municipal Roundtable of the Victims of Cajibío, which is part of the Cauca chapter of MOVICE (Movement of Victims of State Crimes).
On December 27, 2015 at 7:30 pm, Maricel Ipia Luligo was riding her motorbike home from a community activity in the village of Cenegueta, Cajibio municipality, Cauca Department. As she riding downhill and passing through the village of Los Naranjos, she tried to slow down and discovered that her motorbike had no brakes. Unable to slow down, she barely avoided suffering a serious accident. She finally made it to her home in rural Cajibio at approximately 8:15pm. She inspected the motorbike and found that the brake system had been deliberately damaged. Shortly thereafter, her sister said that her motorbike had also been sabotaged.
Both motorbikes—of Maricel Ipia Yenny Luligo and of her sister—were parked 100 meters away, along with dozens of other bikes, near where the community activity took place. Only these two were damaged. It is important to note that on April 16, 2011 Silvestre Ipia Serna, father of Maricel Ipia Yenny Luligo and a founding member of the Peasant Movement of Cajibio, was assassinated. To date there is no progress in the investigation of his death. These incidents are further examples of the frequent attacks on members of different MOVICE chapters and their families that have been occurring for years and about which we have written more than 40 letters to Colombian authorities since 2008. Therefore, westrongly urgethat you· carry out an immediate, independent, thorough and impartial investigation into the incidents described above, publish the results and bring those responsible to justice;· provide immediate protection measures by the National Protection Unit (UNP) to guarantee the life, physical and psychological integrity of all members of MOVICE in all its chapters;· ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998.
Sincerely,
Brian Stefan-Szittai Christine Stonebraker-Martínez
Co-Coordinators
