Grave situation of community leaders and academics in Colombia

Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean reports a pattern of human rights violations against Colombian activists and academics, specifically citing the arrest of Felix Manuel Banguero, a criminal investigation into Professor Miller Dussan regarding the Quimbo hydroelectric project, and raids on the home of Hildebrando Vélez Galeano. The document argues that government protection programs are ineffective and calls for the Colombian government to ensure fundamental rights to life, association, and expression.

• Community leaders and academics in Colombia are facing increasing criminalization and prosecution for their commitment to social and environmental justice.
• Specific instances of targeting include the arrest of Felix Manuel Banguero on charges of rebellion and conspiracy, and a criminal investigation into Professor Miller Dussan concerning his activities in demonstrations against the Quimbo hydroelectric project.
• Environmentalist and professor Hildebrando Vélez Galeano experienced raids on his home and workplace, resulting in the theft of computers and documents related to academic research, social struggles, and the search for missing person Sandra Viviana Cuellar.
• Existing protective measures from the Colombian government and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) have failed to guarantee or respect the rights of social organization members.

APA

admin (2012). Grave situation of community leaders and academics in Colombia. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/grave-situation-of-community-leaders-and-academics-in-colombia/

Chicago

admin. Grave situation of community leaders and academics in Colombia. Friends of the Earth International, 2012. https://www.foei.org/grave-situation-of-community-leaders-and-academics-in-colombia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=Grave situation of community leaders and academics in Colombia |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=12 July 2012 |url=https://www.foei.org/grave-situation-of-community-leaders-and-academics-in-colombia/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2012grave, author = {admin}, title = {{Grave situation of community leaders and academics in Colombia}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2012}, month = jul, url = {https://www.foei.org/grave-situation-of-community-leaders-and-academics-in-colombia/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }