"President Iván Duque, Protect Social Activists", 08 Aug 2018

The world is turning its eyes toward Colombia as the new president, Iván Duque, takes office. Rights groups and peace activists are calling on the government to ensure that both the peace process and the country’s social leaders are protected... More than 330 people — including leaders of indigenous, Afro-descendant and peasant communities — have been murdered since the beginning of 2016, the year [of the] peace agreement... In early May, Hugo Albeiro George Pérez and Luis Alberto Torres, who opposed the construction of the Hidroituanga[o] mega-dam....were murdered... Amid growing pressure, former president Juan Manuel Santos and President Duque signed a pact to condemn the violence. But neither leader has called this for what it is: the systematic killings of political activists... One of the most inspiring parts of the peace process was to witness populations long silenced... finally able to exercise their rights as citizens. But now, these very leaders...are being targeted. Maps that document these murders show a clear overlap with regions hardest hit by the armed conflict, many of which contain lands collectively held by local communities... Rural communities are finding themselves caught in the middle in an ever-escalating fight over illicit crops, illegal mining and drug routes...