Recent Violence in Colombia
06/10/11
Antioquía
- Perhaps the most troubling news from Colombia this week was the murder of human rights defender Ana Fabricia Córdoba in Medellín. Córdoba became a leader of displaced communities in Medellín after paramilitary violence claimed the lives of her husband and two of her children, forcing her to flee her home in 2001. She and other displaced Colombians founded Líderes Adelante por un Tejido Humano de Paz (Latepaz) to campaign for the restitution of stolen land. After months of repeatedly appealing to the government for better protection for herself and for her family, Córdoba was shot by a lone gunmen while riding a city bus. Various international governments and organizations have condemned Córdoba's death, and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the Colombian government to improve protection for human rights activists. More than 500 mourners attended her funeral on June 10.
Caqueta
- Four Chinese oil workers were