COLOMBIA

A woman and a boy from the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó were killed

Translation of the press release 03/20/24 written by Operazione Colomba-Association Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII

PRESS RELEASE 03/20/24

Yesterday morning, in Colombia, a woman and a boy from the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó were killed. The victims are Nayeli Sepulveda, 30, and Edison David, 15, wife and brother of a representative from the Peace Community. They were murdered by gunshots in the village of La Esperanza, Antioquia Department, on March 19th in the morning.

«In the last two weeks we have been in La Esperanza village as international observers from Operazione Colomba because of the latest attacks received by the Peace Community. I left that village the day before the massacre» explains Monica Puto from Operazione Colomba, the Nonviolent Peace Corps of Don Benzi's Community.

«The Peace Community recently suffered several attacks: – says Puto – invasions of lands on the private property Las Delicias within the village, material damage to its assets, threats, calumnies to discredit the peaceful resistance they have been carrying out for 27 years with the aim of protecting their land from big mining projects. The Apartadò Municipality, the local authorities and the national government were aware of what was happening before the massacre.»

«We ask that this escalation of violence that is affecting those who stand on the front line committed to create a peaceful future for their country stops immediately» concludes Monica Puto.

From 1997 to date, the Peace Community has suffered more than 300 killings. Even though human rights violations have never ceased, such a massacre has not occurred since 2005. From 2016 Peace Agreement, the Peace Community has continued to report the strong presence of paramilitary groups in the area.

Since 2009 Operazione Colomba - the Nonviolent Peace Corps of Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII Association founded by Don Oreste Benzi - has been active in Colombia in order to guarantee unarmed civilian protection to war victims.

[ESPANOL] COMUNICADO DE PRENSA - Asesinados una mujer y un niño de la Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó
[ITALIANO] COMUNICATO STAMPA - Uccisi una donna e un ragazzo della Comunità di Pace di San José de Apartadó