Colombia: News & Updates

We are deeply concerned for the safety of indigenous communities and their leaders in Cauca, following a massacre earlier this month and the killings of other indigenous community members and leaders. Massacre in Cauca Department: On December 6, hooded men carried out a massacre in the rural area of Santander de Quilichao. They entered a family home in the middle of the San Pedro and Gualandai villages, fired gunshots indiscriminately at six people, killing four. One of those killed was Carlos Escue, a musician who served as youth coordinator in the nearby Munchique Los Tigres reservation. Others killed this month in Cauca: Hernán Eduardo Pino Julicué, the 30-year-old son of the renowned indigenous eader Luz Eyda Julicué, was shot to death in Caloto municipality. Juan Carlos Petins, age 45, was shot in the chest several times by armed gunmen. He was an indigenous Nasa spokesperson of the Nega Cxhab Belalcázar reservation in Paéz municipality. Indigenous Leaders Threatened: Within hours of the massacre, the FARC dissident organization “Dagoberto Ramos Front” threatened to kill more than a dozen more indigenous leaders, including Senator Feliciano Valencia, for impeding their drug trafficking activities.

We are deeply concerned for the safety of environmental defenders. We are aware of two assassinations (November 30) and ongoing death threats to another. Assassinations: Meta Department: Javier Francisco Parra Cubillos was a 47-year-old environmentalist who worked as coordinator of CORMACARENA (Corporation for the Sustainable Development of the Special Management Area of La Macarena). Chocó Department: Harlin David Rivas Ospina was a student of environmental engineering at the Technological University of Chocó and environmental activist in the National Youth Environment Network. Death threats: Santander Department: Nini Johana Cárdenas Rueda is an environmental defender in Carmen de Chucurí in Santander Department who is active in the Alianza Colombia Libre de Fracking and Movimiento Nacional Ambiental. Because of her work denouncing illegal extractive projects, she has been the victim of death threats, surveillance, and physical attacks for the past few years.

Death threats continue against community leader Adriel Ruiz Galván in Buenaventura in Valle del Cauca Department. He is coordinator of the Foundation Spaces for Coexistence and Social Development Development (FUNDESCODES), a member of the Buenaventura Civic Strike Committee, and advisor to the Inter-Ethnic Truth Commission of the Pacific. He has been the victim of verbal threats and acts of intimidation for several months. On November 2, an unknown caller told him: “…you are already compromising your family…it's time to send people for your family.” We are urging that officials in Colombia: 1) carry out a thorough and impartial investigation into all threats and acts of intimidation against Adriel Ruiz Galván, publish the results, and bring those responsable to justice; 2) provide the requested protection measures for Adriel Ruiz Galván

A national strike by a teachers' union leads to death threats and assassinations of two of its members. Both of the assassination victims belonged to unions affiliated with FECODE, the Colombia Federation of Educators. Byron Revelo Insuasty, member of the SIMANA teachers union in Nariño Department, was disappeared on November 13. His body was found in a morgue in Tumaco on November 22. Douglas Cortés Mosquera, member of the SER teachers union in Risaraldo Department, was also killed on November 22. These killings follow death threats (in the form of funeral wreaths) against all fifteen members of the FECODE Executive Committee that were sent to the home of the FECODE secretary of legal affairs on October 26. The threats came just days after FECODE was involved in the National Strike protests against government reforms that would weaken collective bargaining and the right to strike. We are urging that officials in Colombia: 1) investigate the assassinations of Byron Revel Insuasty and Dougals Cortés Mosquera, publish the results, and bring those responsible to justice; 2) investigate the threats against all 15 members of the FECODE Executive Committee

Within 24 hours, four indigenous community leaders were assassinated in two departments. In Cauca: Avelino Ipia, Héctor David Marín, and Gustavo Herrera (a regional coordinator for Colombia Humana). In Huila: Eduardo Alarcón (in Huila). Two other leaders survived assassination attempts in two other departments. In Córdoba: Aurelio Jumí Domicó (vice-president of the indigenous reservation Quebrada Cañaveral Embera Katio del San Jorge). In Sucre: Hernando Benítez (a regional representative for the Movement for Victims of State Crimes, MOVICE). We are urging that authorities in Colombia conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the assassinations and attempted assassinations of the victims named above, publish the results and bring those responsible to justice

Two agricultural union members were assassinated within ten days of each other in Cauca Department. FENSUAGRO (Federación Nacional Sindical Unitaria Agropecuaria) members: 18-year-old Jayder Quintana (October 3) and Nelson Ramos Barrera (October 13). In addition to his membership in the agricultural union federation FENSUAGRO, Jayder Quintana also belonged to the peasant farmers association ANZORC (Asociación Nacional de Zonas de Reserva Campesina). Nelson Ramos Barrera, who was killed in front of his family, belonged to the Municipal Peasant Workers Association of Piamonte (ASIMTRACAMPIC), an affiliate of FENSUAGRO. Because of its work coordinating crop substitution programs and defending protected biodiversity zones, ASIMTRACAMPIC members have been deemed military targets by armed groups operating in the area. We are urging that authorities in Colombia: 1) carry out transparent and thorough investigations into the assassinations of Jayder Quintana and Nelson Ramos Barrera, publish the results, and bring the perpetrators to justice; 2) provide protection measures to members of ASIMTRACAMPIC and FENSUAGRO in Cauca, in strict accordance with the wishes of their local leaders; 3) demilitarize the rural areas of Cauca because of the military’s complicity in the armed violence, forced displacement, and targeting of rural social leaders