Three more social leaders killed in Colombia

Indepaz points out that in the present year, over 100 social leaders have been murdered.

The Colombian Institute for Development and Peace Studies (Indepaz) announced the murder of three more social leader in the country.

According to official reports, one of the victims was 70-year-old environmental activist Jorge Oramas Vazquez. He was killed on Saturday night, on his farm at La Candelaria village, in La Buitrera, a rural zone of the department of Valle del Cauca. Oramas was shot to death, said the authorities.

So far, authorities have not established the motive of the crime. Oramas’ relatives and friends point out his opposition to illegal gold mining in the national park of “Los Farallones.”

Oramas was also a Biocanto organization leader. The group promotes farmer solidarity and delivers native species seeds. Biocanto supports national food sovereignty by prioritizing local production of tubers and quinoa. 

Social leader Freddy Angarita Martínez was killed on Saturday in La Isla neighborhood, in Cucuta.

Indigenous Guard of the Embera people, Javier García Guaguarabe, was 20 and was a member of the Bani Chami indigenous community in the municipality of Argelia, Valle del Cauca. 

Indepaz points out that in the present year, over 100 social leaders have been murdered. As the organization reports, 25 murders occurred after the Colombian government implemented quarantine and social isolation due to the virus outbreak. 

So far, Colombia registered 15,574 positive cases, 574 deaths, and 3,751 recoveries.