183 councilors from the south west Colombian Huila department Tuesday went on strike, because they fear for their safety and demand protection.
The lawmakers claim that the National Government does not hear their outcry for security improvements against guerrilla attacks in the Huila department.
“There are serious threats against councilmen in the country. Garzon’s case was just the confirmation that these threats are real”, Jaime Leal Rubiano, President of the Association of the Counselors of Central and Southern Huila, told La Nacion.
Prosecutor Mario Iguaran confirmed death threats against eleven other council members of Cundinamarca which fueled the fear.
“As long as the Minister of the Interior or President Uribe will not meet with us to talk about security, we will continue with the strike”, Leal Rubiano said.
Recently, the councilman Armando Acuña got kidnapped by the FARC in the town of Garzon, Huila deparment. Three people died during the attack.