OHCHR 'Deeply' Troubled By 107 Rights Activists Killed In Colombia In 2019 - Spokesman

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2020) The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has expressed serious concern about at least 107 activists having been killed in Colombia last year, OHCHR spokesperson Marta Hurtado said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We are deeply troubled by the staggering number of human rights defenders killed in Colombia during 2019. According to our records, 107 activists were killed last year, and our staff in Colombia is still in the process of verifying 13 additional cases reported during 2019 which, if confirmed, would raise the annual total to 120 killings," the statement said.

Hurtado pointed out that the majority of the 107 killings - 98 percent - took place in rural areas with illicit economies and active criminal and armed groups.

The defenders advocating for the rights of community-based and ethnic groups were targeted the most, and the killings of female activists increased by almost 50 percent in 2019 compared to the previous year, Hurtado said.

According to the OHCHR, 115 human rights defenders were confirmed killed in Colombia in 2018.

In 2020, at least ten advocates have already been killed, which indicated that attacks on activists are showing no let-up, Hurtado said.

The OHCHR reiterates the calls on the Colombian authorities to ensure a free and safe environment for civil rights engagement and bolster efforts to prevent further attacks on activists, Hurtado added.