With the assassination of Maritza Quiroz, a 60-year-old victims representative, Colombia lost its fifth social leader in 2019.
Quiroz was shot dead by armed men in the farm she and other female victims of the country’s armed conflict had been granted by the government in a rural part of Santa Marta.
The victim, whose husband was assassinated in 2013, had been elected by the women to represent them in their attempts to have land devolved that was dispossessed during the armed conflict.
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The killing of the victims representative was rejected by Vice-President Marta Lucia Ramirez and the Agency for Territorial Renovation who worked with Quiroz in the implementation of a 2016 peace deal with demobilized FARC guerrillas.
Marta Lucia Ramirez
Agency for Territorial Renovation
The violent first days of 2019 followed the bloodiest year for social leaders since the peace process began. According to the Ombudsman’s Office, 164 leaders were assassinated last year. Think tank Indepaz put this number as high as 226 until November 17 last year.
Assassinated social leaders since 2016
Who is killing the social leaders
Many of the victims were working with state agencies to implement the peace deal, in particular the program to reduce drug trafficking and the restitution of dispossessed land, according to the National University.
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The ongoing assassinations and death threats are terrifying communities and especially their leaders.