The Peasant Association of Colombia “ASOGRAS COLOMBIA”, we denounce before the Authorities, National and International Community and Human Rights organizations.
I. National and international denunciation on Holy Thursday (April 14) of this year at approximately 4:45 p.m., a member of the Peasant Association of Colombia ASOGRAS COLOMBIA and Human Rights Defender, comrade WILDER MEJIA LASCARRO, was the victim of a hired assassin attack by gunmen who apparently were waiting for him in the Colorados neighborhood when he was coming from the La Gracia de Dios settlement in the township of Bucaramanga Santander where he has his lot and is fixing it up to build his little house.
II. The comrade was the victim of a hired assassination according to the version of the comrade WILDER MEJIA LASCARRO, the victim says that it was an attempt on his life by two (2) hired assassins who were riding motorcycles and others who were in another place where he suffered the attack, who were waiting for him. These facts were known by the police of the north zone of Bucaramanga and the comrade was transferred to the local hospital in the north, then while there the police informed him that he was detained for these facts because they had found a firearm in the place of the facts, which is very strange. On Friday, the Attorney General of the Nation legalizes the arrest in the local hospital in the north of Bucaramanga.
It should be clarified that no firearm was found on the comrade at the time that the police transferred him to the hospital in the north. The comrade stated that at the scene of the incident, he was shot more than 15 times from two different places by the assassins, since his arrival at the hospital he has only been given serum and painkillers, being necessary a surgical intervention on his leg and that to date this intervention has not been done nor has he been informed when the surgery will be done and the leg is super swollen, putting the integrity of the leg and the life of the comrade at risk.
III. For this case the Santander regional Ombudsman’s Office headed by Dr. RODRIGO GONZALEZ MARQUEZ has been very attentive to this case since the comrade has been in the different activities that have been developed by Asogras Colombia: the Santander regional Ombudsman’s Office about a land problem, the Procuraduría Agraria and other authorities, about the problem between the peasant community members of Asogras that is settled in what is called the Cement Multinational CEMEX and the peasant community which is in that sector for more than (60) years which has been a victim of abuses by this multinational, which the guards destroy their crops amache. They have been the victim of abuses by this multinational company, whose guards destroy their amache crops and carry out police processes and at night they hear many detonations or gunshots in the community of la gracia de dios, where there are peace signatories, victims of the armed conflict, peasants, vulnerable people, children and other populations. This comrade was also in the accompaniment of the protest of the National President of Asogras Colombia and signatory of peace in the Ombudsman’s Office last (14) March in protest for lack of security and protection, for the right to life and safety to the national president of Asogras Colombia comrade CESAR AUGUSTO TAMAYO by the UNP leaving us in a total abandonment in terms of protection for defenders of human rights, leaving us in a total abandonment in terms of protection for defenders of human rights. HH, Peasant Leaders, Peace Signatories and other populations that are part of this Association, it is important to clarify that so far this year we have been victims by the Government, Court Decisions, Police Inspections, Threats by paramilitaries, Kidnappings of children of members of the association by paramilitaries and today the assassination attempt against comrade WILDER MEJIA LASCARRO who has reported other threats and nothing has happened.
REQUESTS
FIRST: request to the Attorney General of the Nation, Dr. MARGARITA CABELLO, that there be a disciplinary investigation of the public officials of the National Protection Unit (Unidad Nacional de Protección U.N.P.) for the lack of security for the victims and peace signatories. Since to date, they have not provided the corresponding security to those of us who have denounced all these selective acts against members of Asogras so far this year without counting other acts of previous years. At present, the peace signatory and RL of Asogras Colombia CESAR AUGUSTO TAMAYO is without strong protection measures to guarantee his life and security. There are also more peace signatories within the association that have not been taken into account on the issue of security and protection of the right to life, we ask the National Ombudsman to make permanent accompaniment to the members of Asogras Colombia for all this persecution of which we have been victims in all aspects.
SECOND: we request to the Attorney General of the Nation Dr. FRANCISCO BARBOSA DELGADO that there will be a criminal investigation for these facts and others that have been presented to his office as prosecutor and that we do not see the results which the National Protection Unit U.N.P. continues to argue for not fulfilling its functions of not providing protection measures to ensure the life and integrity of peace signatories and human rights defenders members of Asogras Colombia, for lack of security for the victim because to date the corresponding security has not been provided to the victims only remains in alleged investigations and nothing happens, when there are victims as human rights defenders, victims of the armed conflict, peace signatories and the community in general.
THIRD: We request the pronouncement and accompaniment of the National and International Human Rights Organizations, the national and regional Ombudsman’s Office, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace of Colombia, the OAS, the International Commission on Human Rights, the International Community, the regional and national media, and the countries that are guarantors of the peace process to make a pronouncement to the national government and demand that our lives and the lives of our families be guaranteed, to the international community, to the regional and national international media, and to the countries that are guarantors of the peace process to make a statement to the national government and demand that our lives and the safety of those of us who are threatened because of the work we carry out in defense of the campesino communities be guaranteed.
CUARTO: exigir a la Unidad Nacional de Protección U.N.P. brinde las medidas de seguridad necesarias a las víctimas de los dos (2) atentados, a las víctimas de las amenazas, a las víctimas de la persecución por las denuncias que hacemos permanentemente en defensa de los hombres y mujeres que representamos, que se brinden fuertes esquemas de seguridad consistentes en un vehículo blindado y escoltas masculinos que garanticen el derecho a la vida y a la integridad personal y a los familiares de estos compañeros, ya que en la actualidad ningún miembro de asogras Colombia cuenta con esquemas fuertes de seguridad, demostrando la incapacidad e inoperancia de la Unidad para resolver los problemas de seguridad de las víctimas de atentados, de las víctimas de amenazas, de los firmantes de la paz, los defensores de derechos humanos, para resolver los problemas de seguridad de las víctimas de atentados, de las víctimas de amenazas, de los firmantes de la paz, de los defensores de derechos humanos y de toda clase de víctimas que hoy existen en Colombia y para las cuales esta entidad no presta ni cumple las funciones para las que fue creada y menos aún para los firmantes de la paz y sus familias que hoy están en total riesgo del derecho a la vida, Es claro que en la actualidad hay una serie de firmantes de la paz asesinados en Colombia con el beneplácito del Gobierno Nacional de Colombia y violando el acuerdo de paz, desconociendo además el pronunciamiento de la Corte-Sentencia SU-020-22 M. P. CRISTINA PARDO SCHLESINGER EXPEDIENTES ACUMULADOS: T- 7.987.084, T- 7.987.142, T- 8.009.306 Y T- 8.143.584 AC. LA CORTE DECLARÓ EL ESTADO DE INCONSTITUCIONALIDAD (ECI) POR EL BAJO NIVEL DE IMPLEMENTACIÓN DEL COMPONENTE DE GARANTÍAS DE SEGURIDAD PARA LA POBLACIÓN SIGNATARIA EN TRÁNSITO A LA VIDA CIVIL, PREVISTO EN EL NUMERAL 3. 4 DEL ACUERDO FINAL DE PAZ, DESARROLLADO POR NORMAS CONSTITUCIONALES Y LEGALES, La responsabilidad del estado colombiano por todo lo que está sucediendo con los firmantes de la paz y los defensores de derechos humanos, cada muerto, cada herido y cada desaparecido es responsabilidad del Gobierno Duque y de la Unidad Nacional de Protección.
BUCARAMANGA SANTANDER COLOMBIA, April 18, 2022
