Given the recent homicides committed in the department against social leaders, the United Nations Human Rights Office in Colombia raised its voice of protest and rejection of these events. He also urged the authorities to take measures to stop the killings.
Newspaper of Huila, Huila
By: Gloria Camargo
The United Nations Human Rights Office in Colombia expressed its condemnation of the recent murders of three social leaders in the department of Huila.
These unfortunate events have occurred in less than two weeks, starting on June 23. The victims are Armando Mosquera Trujillo, president of the Mesa Redonda Community Action Board (JAC); Nelson Medina, leader of the Association of People Affected by the El Quimbo Hydroelectric Project; and Pablo Enrique Rodríguez, president of the JAC of Anacleto García.
Armando Mosquera, who had previously been a Tello councilman, was brutally murdered on June 23. A group of armed men attacked his vehicle as he was going to his home, some 40 minutes away from said municipality in Huila. This violent act has shocked the local community and has had a profound impact on the region.
On that same fateful day, Pablo Enrique Rodríguez also lost his life. He was assaulted and shot while walking along the path of El Bosque, in the municipality of Tello. In addition to this well-known community leader, his friend Cielo Ramírez was also assassinated in the same place.
The third murdered social leader, Nelson Medina, had actively participated in a cultural sit-in and fight against the dams on March 14. Unfortunately, on June 26, he lost his life after being shot by a firearm.
Juliette de Rivero, representative in Colombia of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
These murders have generated great concern both locally and internationally, for this reason, the United Nations Human Rights Office in Colombia has strongly condemned these violent acts and has urged the competent authorities to carry out an exhaustive investigation to clarify the facts and bring those responsible to justice.
In addition, a call was made to guarantee the protection of social leaders and human rights defenders in the region, as well as to promote a safe and favorable environment for their work in building a more just and equitable society.
there is concern
For this reason, the United Nations Human Rights Office in Colombia expressed solidarity with the families and communities affected by the recent murders of social leaders in the department of Huila.
Through its Twitter account, UN Human Rights Colombia urged the State to take the necessary measures to guarantee the life and integrity of rural communities and prevent violence.
Juliette de Rivero, representative in Colombia of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed her concern about the situation of violence and called for considering Huila as a priority area in the implementation of a new human security policy.
These recent murders of social leaders are added to three others that occurred on July 4 in different regions of Colombia. Albán Mestizo and José Hernán Tenorio were shot victims in the department of Cauca, while the causes of the murder of César Tapias, a native of Antioquia, are still unknown.
During the verification launch, a conversation was held with two indigenous leaders from Putumayo and Huila.
According to the data provided by Indepaz, so far in 2023, there have been at least 85 murders of social leaders, human rights defenders and peace signatories in Colombia.
The most affected department continues to be Cauca, with 20 reported cases, but now Huila has also entered this list by registering its first three cases of the year, according to the Indepaz report.
The persistence of violence against social leaders is cause for deep concern in the country, which is why the international community, represented by the UN and other human rights organizations, urges the Colombian State to take strong measures to stop this wave of violence and guarantee the protection of those who fight for the rights and well-being of the most vulnerable communities.
“It is essential to address the underlying causes of these attacks and promote a safe and conducive environment for the work of social leaders in Colombia,” the Representative indicated.
It should be remembered that on June 15, 2023, Juliette De Rivero visited the department and highlighted the courageous and important work of leaders. “Today the concern about the situation of violence that affects the communities, especially their leaders and JAC, is reiterated, and calls for the prosecution to clarify the crimes,” she said in the publication.
According to the Humanas Corporation, the objective is to map and verify those messages that distort the work of social leaders.
against misinformation
In order to safeguard social leaders, the Humanas Corporation, a center for studies and political action for the promotion and defense of women’s human rights, has launched VERIFICO, a digital platform dedicated to monitoring phenomena of misinformation and stigmatizing discourses directed towards human rights defenders.
This initiative arises in response to the alarming levels of violence suffered by human rights defenders in Colombia, as well as the numerous complaints and alerts issued by social organizations and state entities.
During the launch of VERIFICO, a discussion was held in which two indigenous leaders from the departments of Putumayo and Huila participated.
The conversation focused on the impact and effects of misinformation and stigmatization on communities. Ginny Alba, an indigenous leader from Putumayo, pointed out that the actions of the press and public opinion often turn into threats and even assassinations against indigenous leaders. She highlighted how this misinformation directly affects her people.
Luz Nidia Finscué, a Nasa indigenous leader from the department of Huila, affirmed that it is necessary to understand and respect all the processes, worldviews and perspectives present in indigenous peoples and peasant communities.
In the municipality of Tello, Armando Mosquera and Pablo Enrique Rodríguez, social leaders, were assassinated.
Likewise, he highlighted the importance of knowing and valuing these visions to build a more inclusive and just society.
VERIFICO seeks to provide a tool for the analysis and verification of information that makes it possible to combat misinformation and stigmatizing discourses directed at human rights defenders.
This platform will monitor both social networks and the media, with the aim of identifying and countering false and harmful narratives that circulate in these spaces.