The Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) called together all authorities of the tribes in Cauca to publicly reject and denounce the "consecutive barbaric acts" against indigenous people after the death of Edwin Legarda, husband of one of the indigenous leaders.
Legarda was killed by the army Tuesday. The army says its patrol opened fire because Legarda wouldn't stop at a roadblock, but indigenous say the bullets that killed the leader's husband -- who was driving his wife's car when being shot -- were meant for his wife Aida Quilcue.
"The facts provide more evidence every day of the degree of criminalization of the military forces and ratify that the Democratic Security policy [of the Uribe administration] includes a systematic strategy to exterminate social sectors, the indigenous peoples and the most poor of the country," a press statement by the CRIC said.
The indigenous denounce that threats and violence against their community worsened after their 'popular minga', a month long protest against the government.
