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Colombia: Human rights defender Manuel Ruíz and his son abducted and killed by paramilitariesposted on: 2012/03/30

On 27 and 28 March 2012, the bodies of human rights defender Mr Manuel Ruíz and his son Samir de Jesús Ruíz, members of the Afro-descendant and Afro-mestizo community of Apartadocito were found in the Ríosucio area following their abduction on 23 March.

Colombia: Intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders including Ms Rosa Amelia Hernández and Mr Pedro Geney in connection with countrywide peaceful protestsposted on: 2012/03/21

HRDs including Ms Rosa Amelia Hernández and Mr Pedro Geney have been subjected to intimidation and harassment in connection to demonstrations held across Colombia on 6 March 2012.

Colombia: Call for assassination of human rights defender Mr Jose Humberto Torres with reward of €120,000 offeredposted on: 2012/03/16

Front Line Defenders has received information that a call has been made for the assassination of human rights defender and lawyer Mr José Humberto Torres and €120,000 has been offered as a reward.

Colombia: Death threats against human rights organisations and human rights defendersposted on: 2012/03/06

On 28 and 27 February 2012, human rights organisations including Corporación Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo and the Movimiento Nacional de Víctimas de Estado were subjected to death threats.

Colombia: David Rabelo Crespo arrestedposted on: 2012/02/01

On 14 September 2010 human rights defender David Rabelo Crespo was arrested in Barrancabermeja, Colombia and is facing politically motivated charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and aggravated murder.

Colombia: Death threats at gunpoint against human rights defender Mr Abelardo Sánchez Serranoposted on: 2012/01/19

On 13 January 2012, human rights defender Mr Abelardo Sánchez Serrano was threatened by two unknown men on a motorcycle in Barrancabermeja.

Colombia: House break-in, assault and threats against human rights defenders Ms Jackeline Rojas Castañeda, Mr Juan Carlos Galvis and familyposted on: 2011/11/17

On 9 November 2011, the home of human rights defenders Ms Jackeline Rojas Castañeda and Mr Juan Carlos Galvis was forcibly entered by two unknown armed individuals.

Colombia: Joint Open Letter to Secretary Hillary Clinton on the situation of Principe Gabriel Gonzálezposted on: 2011/10/10

Colombian human rights defender Principe Gabriel González is imprisoned today (4 October) under the codes of yesterday’s discredited criminal justice system.

Colombia: Alleged planned attacks against human rights defender and journalist, Ms Claudia Julieta Duqueposted on: 2011/09/23

Human rights defender Ms Claudia Julieta Duque has been informed of alleged plans within the Military Intelligence Department to carry out attacks against her. Claudia Julieta Duque is a journalist and works as a correspondent with the Equipo Nizkor and Radio Nizkor in Colombia, and is a former member of the Federación Colombiana de Periodistas – Fecolper (Colombian Federation of Journalists) and of the directive board of the Unión de Periodistas de Bogotá – UPB (Journalists Union of Bogotá). She is an honorary member of the National Union of Journalists of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Claudia Julieta Duque has been the target of intimidation, harassment, threats and surveillance since 2001. In January 2004, the Protection Programme for Journalists, under the direction of the Minister of the Interior, extended her protection measures, while in November 2009, the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights granted her precautionary measures in order to guarantee her safety.

Colombia: Ongoing campaigns of intimidation, harassment and persecution against human rights defendersposted on: 2011/09/02

Front Line is deeply concerned regarding reports that ongoing campaigns of intimidation, harassment and persecution perpetrated against human rights defenders by State and non-state actors, are not being adequately investigated by the Colombian authorities. Despite the campaign from the side of paramilitary groups intensifying in recent months, the authorities have failed to bring to account those responsible for orchestrating such acts. Most recently, Front Line has been informed of a planned assassination, as well as death threats which were issued against human rights defenders in the Valle del Cauca region of Colombia.

Further Information

On 24 August 2011, it was revealed that two prison guards at the Tramacúa Prison in Valledupar, Cesar Department, had supplied a prisoner with a dagger in order to stab Mr Iván Cepeda Castro, member of Movimiento de Víctimas de Crímenes de Estado – MOVICE (Movement of Victims of State Crimes) and member of congress, while carrying out a prison visit on 22 May 2011. The prisoner however refused to carry out the attack.

Colombia: Human rights defender Mr Gonzalo Guillén threatened and falsely accused of having links with FARCposted on: 2011/07/07

Human rights defender and journalist Mr Gonzalo Guillén has been falsely accused by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos of having links with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). Gonzalo Guillén is an independent journalist, former correspondent with El Nuevo Herald of Miami, and is currently an adviser for El Universo newspaper of Guayaquil (Ecuador) and President of the Instituto Prensa y Sociedad – Colombia (Colombia section of the Press and Society Institute). He has been long-involved in investigating and documenting crimes allegedly carried out by members of the Colombian armed forces, and has had to leave Colombia on a number of occasions for extended periods as a result of threats he has received.

Colombia: Death threats received by members of MOVICE Capítulo Valleposted on: 2011/06/09

Human rights defenders, Ms Jenny Torres, Ms Martha Giraldo and Mr Julio Cesar Rosero, received death threats on 2 and 7 June 2011. Jenny Torres and Martha Giraldo are members of the Movimiento de Víctimas de Crímenes de Estado – MOVICE (Movement of Victims of State Crimes) in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, and lawyer Julio Cesar Rosero is providing legal representation to Jenny Torres in the trial against military officers for the 2007 killing of her husband Edinson Yimel Villanueva.

Colombia: Death threat against human rights defender and journalist Mr Nelson Orregoposted on: 2011/05/30

On 21 May 2011 human rights defender and journalist Mr Nelson Orrego received a death threat via email to his workplace. Nelson Orrego has been working as a journalist with Periferia Prensa Alternativa (Periferia Alternative Press) since 2009, and has investigated and published various articles relating to victims of crimes carried out by paramilitary and drug-trafficking groups.

Colombia: Death threats against human rights defenders Ms Candelaria Barrios Acosta, Ms Ingrid Vergara Chavéz, Mr Pedro Geney and Mr Franklin Torresposted on: 2011/05/24

Human rights defender Ms Candelaria Barrios Acosta received a death threat on 20 May 2011. Candelaria Barrios Acosta is a member of Movimiento de Víctimas de Crímenes de Estado – MOVICE (Movement of Victims of State Crimes) in Sucre, Colombia, and is the sister of Carmelo de Jesus Barrios Acosta, who was murdered by paramilitaries on 15 November 2006. The previous day Ms Ingrid Vergara Chavéz, spokesperson for the Sucre branch of MOVICE, Mr Pedro Geney, a member of MOVICE, and Mr Franklin Torres, a member of both MOVICE and the board of directors of the Asociación de Trabajadores Agropecuarios y Campesinos del Departamento de Sucre - ASOTRACDES (Association of Peasants and Agricultural Workers of the department of Sucre) also received death threats.

Colombia: Break-in at home of human rights defender Mr Danilo Rueda and theft of items containing sensitive informationposted on: 2011/05/20

On 13 May 2011 the home of human rights defender Mr Danilo Rueda in Bogotá was broken into and computer memory sticks containing confidential and sensitive information regarding human rights abuses and his work in the protection of human rights were stolen. Danilo Rueda is the National Coordinator of the NGO Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz – CIJP (Inter-Church Commission of Justice and Peace), a church-based human rights organisation working to expose human rights violations committed in the conflict regions of Colombia by state security forces and paramilitary groups. Members of the group including Danilo Rueda have been subjected to death threats and other acts of intimidation in the past as a result of their work in the defence of human rights.