Senator-elect, Claudia Lopez, received warning on Saturday by a national security force that she is at high risk of an assassination attempt, local media reported.
assassination
Both Lopez and the National Protection Unit have confirmed to media that the threat has come from former governor of La Guajira in northern Colombia, Juan Francisco “Kiko” Gomez and Marcos de Jesus Figueroa, alias “Holders.”
“Unfortunately it is a theme that returns time and time again and is always repeated. It’s nothing new. Apparently the same people from La Guajira, Mr. “Kiko” Gomez and Mr “Holders” Figuero (who is head of a BaCrim and yet remains free and unpunished) are unyielding in their efforts to kill,” stated Lopez according to El Tiempo newspaper.
Before election to the Senate, Lopez worked with journalists and human rights defenders to publish research which proved links between Kiko Gomez and illegal sectors. Evidence which was later used to remove him from office and banned for 17 years.
However Lopez publicly refused to be scared by the threats, tweeting that “I will not leave the country or stop doing what I chose. Life goes on.”
La @UNPColombia me informó hoy que riesgo de que me asesinen es extremo. No me iré del país ni dejaré de hacer lo que escogí. La vida sigue.
— Claudia López (@CLOPEZanalista) abril 26, 2014
La @UNPColombia ha hecho todo por protegerme, pero el riesgo se extrema por complicidad gubernamental y de Policia e ineficacia @FiscaliaCol
— Claudia López (@CLOPEZanalista) abril 26, 2014
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In October of 2013, Lopez left Colombia for a few months due to other alleged death threats from the criminal gang led by Figueroa.
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