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href="http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/A-Social-Leader-Is-Killed-Every-4-Days-In-Colombia-Report-20170719-0022.html">http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/A-Social-Leader-Is-Killed-Every-4-Days-In-Colombia-Report-20170719-0022.html</a></font>
<h1 id="reader-title">A Social Leader Is Killed Every 4 Days In
Colombia: Report<br>
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<div id="reader-estimated-time">July 19, 2017 <br>
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<p>A social leader is killed every four days in Colombia
despite the current peace process between the government
and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),
according to a recent report.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>RELATED: <br>
<a
href="http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/186-Social-Leaders-Assassinated-in-Colombia-Since-2016-20170713-0037.html">186
Social Leaders Assassinated in Colombia Since 2016</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation said it
recorded 55 assassinations of community leaders and
human rights activists this year alone.</p>
<p>“Every four days a homicide is committed against a
social leader in Colombia and every two days ..one
threatened,” its report said. </p>
<p>“The vulnerability of leaders and human rights
defenders in Colombia remains critical. The acts of
violence against this population show high degrees of
systematic behavior.”</p>
<p>Since Colombia’s government signed a historic peace
deal with FARC guerrillas last November, a total of 181
acts victimizing social leaders and human rights
defenders have been recorded, according to the study. </p>
<p>The motivations for these actions are to limit the
participation of social leaders in politics, impede
processes of truth-building, land restitution and
environmental protection.</p>
<p>Besides the murders of social movement leaders, there
were selective killings of former FARC members, with six
were targeted in the past three months. Nine rebels'
relatives have also been murdered this year.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>RELATED: <br>
<a
href="http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Sixth-FARC-EP-Member-Murdered-in-Three-Months-20170714-0003.html">Sixth
FARC-EP Member Murdered in Three Months</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Colombia’s military has responded by embarking on a
major reform to effectively deal with the paramilitary
threat. Additionally, several “normalization and
stabilization” units have been formed to curb the
violence impacting on communities in abandoned FARC
territory.</p>
<p>Last week, the United Nations Security Council adopted
a British-drafted resolution which authorizes a second
political mission in Colombia, focusing on reintegrating
FARC rebels into society.</p>
<p>While the Foundation of Peace and Reconciliation report
concluded that “institutional advances in security are
beginning to be seen,” it also called for greater
efforts to bring the rule of law and governance to all
corners of the country.</p>
<p>“It is the opportunity to build a more robust local
institutional structure, which generates confidence and
can be recognized as an authority for the processing of
conflicts,” it said. </p>
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<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
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