
Two more community leaders were murdered on 3 July, taking the murders of civil society activists in 2018 to more than 80.
In Quibdó, western Colombia, unknown assailiants killed the social leader Felicinda Santamaría. Felicinda was president of the Community Action Council in the Virgen del Carmen district. The zone has high presence of paramilitary and other armed groups.
In Palmar de Valera, department of Atlántico, Luis Barrios was murdered by men who entered his home and shot him in front of his family while they watched Colombia’s World Cup match against England. Luis was also president of the local Community Action Council.
‘With Felicinda Santamaría, 38 community action leaders have already been killed in 2018. It is strange that the government is silence over this problem which we live day after day as Community Action leaders’, said Jaime Gutiérrez, former president of the Peace, Reconciliation and Co-living Council.
More than 300 civil society activists have been murdered since the start of 2016.