More than 100 women from the left-wing movement Marcha Patriotica took over one of the main cathedrals in the Colombian capital Bogota Saturday, demanding that the Catholic church condemn the violence against activists in the country.
According to the women, 112 members of Marcha Patriotica, both men and women, have been killed since 2012, including four in the month of March alone.
These four make up part of the 12 social and political activists who have been killed since the beginning of the month.
Abrazo a @marchapatriota. Se requieren garantías verdaderas para la paz @JuanManSantos#112SuenosEnMarcha asesinados pic.twitter.com/bdq9WGjSQk
— Hollman Morris (@HOLLMANMORRIS) March 19, 2016
Hugs to @marchapatriotica. Real guarantees are required for peace
Former senator and renowned human rights activist Piedad Cordoba, who was also at the demonstration, said the killings are a product of “the armed ultra-right [movements] through paramilitaries and sectors of the police and the army.”
The church is a major influence in Colombia, where over 90 percent of the population identify as Catholic. This is why Marcha Patriotica demand that it use its power to condemn this ongoing violence.
“We have come to the church, the street and the square, to denounce the continuation of a process of political extermination,” said Marcha Patriotica in a statement on their website, adding that “In recent months there has not been a week where tears, rage and helplessness have not reached us.”
As part of the protest, the women waited outside the San Francisco church wearing white dresses and veils, holding banners and chanting slogans against the state violence. They also marched through the two entrances of the church, throwing rose petals on the ground.
El Estado debe responder por la persecución y el crecimiento del paramilitarismo #Colombia#112SueñosEnMarcha pic.twitter.com/80K5o9P121
— ANZORC- ZRC (@ANZORC1) March 18, 2016
"The state needs to respond to the persecution and growing paramilitarism"
The protesters also highlighted the fact that there are over 300 political prisoners currently being held in Colombian prisons – which are themselves renown for their massive human rights violations – for their activism.
The violence against activists in the country continues despite the ongoing peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) guerrillas in Havana, Cuba.
IN DEPTH: The Colombian Peace Process Explained
The two sides have been undergoing negotiations for over three years in an attempt to stop the over 50 years of war in the country. They are said to be close to signing a final peace deal, expected to happen by their self-imposed deadline of March 23, however there have been many setbacks, including the recent killings of human rights advocates.