One campaign organiser and two supporters of presidential candidate Gustavo Petro have been murdered in separate incidents as the wave of violence against civil society activists in Colombia continues.
Ana María Cortes was murdered in Cáceres, department of Antioquia, where she had worked on defeated candidate Petro’s campaign in the recent national election. She was shot in a cafe during the evening of 4 July.
Margarita Estupiñán, 54 years old, was killed on 3 July in the doorway of her home in Tumaco, department of Nariño. She was president of her local Community Action Council and had received threats throughout the previous decade for her political activity. Her murder was at least the 24th killing of a social leader since the start of June.
On 7 July, Frank Darío Rincón, a science teacher, was killed in Pitalito, department of Huila. He was stabbed after leaving a bar with friends.
Between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2018, at least 311 civil society activists were murdered in Colombia. The first few days of July have already seen several murders.