March 26, 2025
Dear President Petro and Attorney General Camargo:
We are deeply disturbed to learn of the killing of school teacher Martin Emilio Acevedo Quiceño, age 55, in Caldas, Antioquia Department.
The family of Martin Emilio Acevedo Quiceño reported that they last saw him alive on March 1 when he left his house to walk his dog. Early the next day, his body was found in a wooded area in the Lasallista sector of the municipality of Caldas. The Metropolitan Police of the Aburrá Valley released a statement that the body showed signs of violence and was half-naked. He had stab wounds to the chest and blunt force trauma to the head.
Martin Emilio Acevedo Quiceño was employed at Institución Educativa Pedro Luis Álvarez Correa and was an active member of the Antioquia Teachers Association (ADIDA). His killing follows a series of attacks against teachers in Antioquia this year. On January 10, teacher Daniel Esteban Raigoza was murdered in the municipality of Turbo. On January 15, teachers Geiver Nair Palacio and Carlos Sarmiento were victims of a hitman attack in Fredonia. On February 7, teacher Jorge Enrique Cano Jaramillo was gunned down in Santo Domingo (cf our letter 24 March 2025). These events have generated concern among educators and highlighted the risks faced by those working in areas affected by armed violence.
We strongly urge that you
• conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the assassination of Martin Emilio Acevedo Quiceño, publish the results and bring the perpetrators to justice
• determine whether there is any connection between this case and previous attacks against other teachers in the region
• consult with the Association of Teachers of Antioquia (Adida) and the Colombian Federation of Education Workers (Fecode) to create protection schemes for teachers in rural areas
Sincerely,
Brian J. Stefan Szittai Christine L. Stonebraker-Martínez
Co-Coordinators
copies: Daniel García-Peña, Ambassador of Colombia to the US ~ via email, US mail
José Luis Caballero Ochoa, Rapporteur for Colombia , Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) ~ via email, US mail
UN: Juliette De Rivero, Representative in Colombia of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights ~ via email
US Embassy: John McNamara (Chargé d’Affaires); Adam Levy (human rights) ~ via email
US State Department: Desk Officer for Colombia ~ via email
US Senators from Ohio: Husted and Moreno ~ via email
US Representatives from Ohio: Beatty, Brown, Jordan, Joyce, Kaptur, Latta, Miller, Rulli, Sykes ~ via email
02 MAR 2025_Infobae_Colombia
