Assassinations of Colombia’s civil leaders on the decline, death threats increase: report
Assassinations of Colombia’s civil leaders on the decline, death threats increase: report
Aug 20, 2014 posted by Nicolas Bedoya
Colombia has seen a drop in the murder of human rights defenders and community leaders compared to last year, but a report by a Colombian NGO indicates that death threats are on the rise.
A report released this week by “Somos Defensores” details the crimes committed against civil society leaders in the first six months of 2014, calling it an “important pulse” of the country’s suffering from the civil war.
The number of assassinations against community leaders has dropped 18% from the same period in 2013; however, death threats have increased 20%.
The NGO points out the concern that, of the 30 homicide cases against community leaders, 18 of the victims had reported threats against their lives. The NGO asserts that “had these warnings been properly attended to, they could’ve been protected and their deaths avoided.” Some of the community leaders had even been given bulletproof vests and cellphones by Colombia’s National Protection Unit (UNP).
More:
http://colombiareports.co/colombias-community-leaders-continue-get-murdered/
