Excmo. Sr. Presidente Juan Manuel Santos, President of the Republic of Colombia
Sr. Fiscal General Néstor Humberto Martínez Neira, Attorney General of Colombia
September 11, 2017
Dear Sirs:
We are extremely concerned about the threat to Anny Lisseth Vera Ravelo, daughter of Maria Leonilda Ravelo Grimaldo, President of the National Association for Solidarity Aid (ANDAS) in Barrancabermeja, Santander Department, and a member of the Peace Commission in Colombia.
On August 19, around 9 pm, two assailants on a motorcycle approached Anny Lisseth Vera Ravelo as she and her partner walked her dog in a neighborhood square in Barrancabermeja. One assailant, who was armed, dismounted the motorcycle and began walking towards the couple. He retreated to the motorcycle when he saw an approaching taxi which stopped in front of a house on the street. As the two men circled the area, one pointed a gun at Anny Lisseth Vera Ravelo while laughing. She reported the incident to the authorities and also reported that she had seen the same motorcycle in two other locations that she had visited during the week.
This is the latest act in a series of attacks and intimidation against Maria Leonilda Ravelo Grimaldo. On July 31, several organizations and human rights defenders reported that Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC), a paramilitary group, was circulating a pamphlet in Barrancabermeja and the surrounding region containing death threats against several persons working on human rights issues and the peace process, including Maria Leonilda Ravelo Grimaldo, who was specifically targeted as she and her daughter attended a workshop (cf our letter of August 25).
We believe the ongoing intimidation, harassment and attacks against Maria Leonilda Ravelo Grimaldo and her family are related to her human rights work and leading role in the implementation of the peace process in her region. We strongly urge that you
- act immediately to end the ongoing stigmatization and criminalization of social leaders in the country
- implement sufficient protective measures so that human rights defenders can carry out their legitimate work
- consult with Maria Leonilda Ravelo Grimaldo to provide protective measures for her and her family, in strict accordance with her wishes
Sincerely,
Brian J. Stefan Szittai and Christine Stonebraker-Martínez
Co-Coordinators
copies:
Camilo Reyes, Ambassador of Colombia to the US ~ via email
Rebecca Daley, Human Rights Officer, US Embassy in Colombia ~ via email
Colombia Desk, US State Department (attention: Ian Arzeni and Gail Morgado) ~ via email
José de Jesús Orozco Hernández, Rapporteur for Colombia , Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ~ via email
US Senators Brown & Portman ~ via email
US Representatives Beatty, Fudge, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Kaptur, Latta, Renacci, Ryan ~ via email
