Colombians Denounce Assassination of Social Leader in Risaralda

There have been 222 leaders and human rights defenders murdered in Colombia in 2020 alone.

Social and peace organizations in Colombia denounced the murder Monday of the president of the Community Action Board of the Sabanitas neighborhood of the Dosquebradas municipality of Risaralda department, Jorge Quintero Villada. 

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Quintero was intercepted in the rural area of the municipality of Dosquebradas in the department of Risaralda by hired killers who shot him several times and took his life.

The Institute of Studies for Development and Peace (Indepaz) denounced that his murder was committed while returning to his home, specifying that 222 leaders and human rights defenders have been executed in 2020 already. 

Jaime Gutiérrez, an advisor to the National Communal Federation of Colombia, stated that "once again, communal action is dressed in mourning when murderous bullets attempt to kill a great communal leader such as Jorge Quintero, a hard-working, respectful man, a companion of the community's struggles, who was always at the service of the community."

He indicated that this fact continues to reveal the vulnerability of the members of the communal and social organization of Risaralda and the country, "who because of their activities in defense of the interests of their sectors and their communities became targets of criminal groups."

Eisenhower Zapata, a member of the National Roundtable of Victims, called on "the mayor of the municipality and the governor of Risaralda to look at what the real strategy is to defend all the threatened leaders."

Quintero had previously denounced the destruction of environmental protection zones, so it is being investigated whether his activism is related to his unfortunate murder.