The UN’s Colombian Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights spoke out against the murder of Ever Cordero Oviedo, a land restitution activists, and demanded punitive action.
“This violent death is worrying because it is the second murder in the last two weeks that targeted land [restitution] leaders in Valencia,” said the office’s report.
Cordero, who worked with Fundacion Forjando Futuros in the municipality of Valencia, was killed on Tuesday at 6:30AM by two armed assassins on a motorcycle.
MORE: Land restitution activist assassinated in north Colombia
“Ever Cordero had a great path [before him] and was well known by the institutions and civil society for his leadership in the areas of land and victims,” the UN report added.
The spokesman for Fundacion Forjando Futuros, Gerardo Vega, told Colombia Reports that Cordero was killed while on his way to meet with land restitution claimants. “For us it is clear that the most probable [perpetrator of the crime] is among those who oppose the land restitution, those that come doing this type of assassination to stop the people continuing to reclaim [territory].” said Vega.
The UN urged the Colombian authorities “to investigate, prosecute, and punish those responsible for this crime and other crimes in recent years, because overcoming impunity is imperative to achieving real protection for victims.”
Sources
- ONU condena una vex mas asesinatos de lideres de tierras (El Espectador)
- ONU Derechos Humanos (hchr.org.co)
