Twelve Bogota theater groups have received death threats from the neo-paramilitary group “Aguilas Negras,” local media reported Thursday.
Luis Vicente Estupiñan, from the Teatro la Disidencia theater group, reported the threats began to come in Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The threats told them they should leave the Colombian capital immediately, and were directed at groups in Bosa, Kennedy, Tunjuelito, and Cuidad Bolivar.
“In this letter they accuse us of being human rights defenders through our artistic activities, and therefore we are considered as a [target],” Estupiñan told Caracol Radio.
The director of one of the groups and a former socialist congressman told reporters that the threats come from the “Bloque Capital de las Autodefensas” of the Aguilas Negras and demanded authorities to provide protection for the theater groups.
“We are dismayed with this threat, but we aren’t contemplating the possibility of leaving the city. We are disoriented by this situation but if you’re not guilty, you have nothing to fear,” Estupiñan concluded.