The Green alliance in the European Parliament calls on Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos to ensure the protection of the secretary general of the Colombian Green Alliance party who has been threatened by a neo-paramilitary group.
The threats came from the neo-paramilitary group Aguilas Negras in an email with hundred names of peace advocates and human rights defenders, which was sent to several associations and individuals including Gloria Florez, the Green Alliance’s secretary general.
Ulrike Lunacek, vice president of the Greens, rejected the threats and urged Santos to protect social leaders, trade unionists, human rights defenders and Florez.
To do this, Santos needs to take effective measures to guarantee the physical integrity and political work of Flórez, the statement from Lunacek and his colleagues said.
The European parliament members mentioned that they are willing to provide the necessary aid to ensure the safety of Florez and the other victims of the threat.
The lawmakers failed to specify what this aid would consist of.
Human rights defenders and community leaders in Colombia have been vulnerable to murders and threats from criminal gangs for decades. There has been a drop in murders among rights activists, but threats are on a rise, local organizations said earlier this year.
Several NGOs and left-leaning thought leaders were threatened by a group known as the Rastrojos.
MORE: Colombia’s paramilitary successors continue to threaten human rights defenders