Excmo. Sr. Presidente Gustavo Petro Urrego President of the Republic of Colombia contacto@presidencia.gov.co | Sra. Luz Adriana Camargo Attorney General of Colombia |
November 24, 2025
Dear President Petro and Attorney General Camargo:
We are deeply distressed to learn of the assassination of sugar cane worker and union member Jordy Alexis Cárdenas Campo. On November 8, he was working on the railway at the Hato Cavi property in a rural zone of Padilla in northern Cauca Department when armed men on a motorcycle approached him and shot him multiple times. Despite the efforts of rescue workers and his transfer to a medical center in Puerto Tejada, he died due to the severity of his injuries.
Originally from the village of Las Brisas (Puerto Tejada, Cauca Department), Jordy Alexis Cárdenas Campo had recently been hired by the La Cabaña SA sugar mill. He was a member of the Sintraicañazucol union (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Agroindustria de la Caña de Azúcar de Colombia). The Puerto Tejada chapter of Sintraicañazucol expressed its outrage and sorrow over his killing, demanding justice and greater protection for workers in the sector.
So far in 2025, at least five sugar industry workers have been murdered—three in Cauca and two in Valle del Cauca—and another seven have been injured in various violent incidents. During the early morning hours of September 2, there was an attack against workers at a sugar mill on the road that connects Puerto Tejada (Cauca) and Candelaria (Valle del Cauca). Security personnel at the sugar mill were intercepted by armed individuals who apparently intended to rob them. During the confrontation, one of the workers was shot and seriously wounded.
We urge that authorities in Colombia:
(1) investigate the assassination of Jordy Alexis Cárdenas Campo, publish the results, and bring those responsible to justice
(2) consult with leadership of Sintraicañazucol and Asocaña (Association of Sugar Cane Growers of Colombia) to devise safety measures for workers in the fields
(3) ensure labor protections for all agricultural union workers and protect their right to organize and affiliate with unions
Sincerely,
Brian J Stefan-Szittai, Co-Coordinator
copies:
Daniel García-Peña Jaramillo, Ambassador of Colombia to the US ~ via email
José Luis Caballero Ochoa, Rapporteur for Colombia , Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) ~ via email
UN: Scott Campbell, 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
11 NOV 2025_Infobae_Colombia
