Colombia’s human rights watchdog reports that 215 human rights defenders were killed last year, the highest death toll since a peace deal was signed with left-wing rebels in 2016.
José Ricaurte Quintero, who founded the Association of Survivors of Maná, was one of the last victims of 2022. He was murdered on the street in Armenia in December. His group supported families of people who disappeared during more than five decades of armed conflict in Colombia.
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Colombia’s human rights watchdog reported that 215 human rights defenders were killed in 2022. This is the highest death rate in Colombia since 2016.
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The Ombudsman’s Office says the murders coincide with locations of strategic importance to organized crime groups involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining and smuggling.
The government of Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, has proposed in its “total peace” policy to start peace talks with armed groups such as the ELN guerrillas and to approach the FARC dissidents who refused to sign the agreement. of peace, as well as the Clan del Golfo cartel, with whom the government announced a truce.
The Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, expressed his hope that such talks would lead to a reduction in actions against the leaders of human rights groups.
