Colombia and its debt with the protectors of nature.

Wilton Orrego, Angelica Ortiz & Gonzalo Cardona.

Throughout history, Colombia has experienced a longstanding issue in human rights matters, which remains present to this day. Because these problems are so prevalent in today’s society, individuals have risen to expose the infringement of their rights. These individuals are social leaders and human rights defenders. Unfortunately, they are being killed and silenced due to the lack of political will by the State, with the worst affected being those in marginalized areas or communities of the country. According to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, since 2016, over 400 human rights defenders have been killed in Colombia. The leaders killed belong to a wide spectrum of issues and backgrounds (indigenous, Afro-Colombian, rural, trade union workers, LGBTIQ activists etc), but this article will focus on environmental defenders. Environmental leaders may be people from Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and campesino communities, or those hailing from an academic background in relation to the environment, biodiversity and the natural world in general. Environmental leaders are dedicated to preserving the well-being of the environment, monitoring pollution, contamination and destruction of natural areas. Generally speaking, the killings of social leaders and human rights defenders tend to occur in areas of high commercial or criminal interest, predominantly in the departments of Cauca, Arauca, Antioquia and Caqueta; however, it is not exclusively limited to these regions, as defenders are located all over the country. Environmental leaders tackle different topics and do different activities to raise awareness such as the protection of a certain animal species, monitoring of water pollution, or leading protests to attract the attention of the government about their harmful extractive activities, etc. According to INDEPAZ, in Colombia there have been 971 leaders murdered in Colombia since the signing of the peace accords in 2016, out of which 400 were human rights defenders (United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2021). The number of environmental leader killings continues to rise each year, in 2016 there were 37 victims and by 2019 this number was 64 (Global Witness, 2020).

The number of victims increases every year. For this reason, it is important to understand the patterns of violence and know which are the most affected regions within the country. More than 89% of the murders occurred under the modality of hired killers; the crime is committed by people who were transported on motorcycles and cars, then the procedure is to intercept the person and attack with a firearm. This usually occurs in the work space, residence or places frequented by the victims which implies that the perpetrators of the crime in most cases follow the victims, study them and plan the crime. (Somos defensores, 2020). The threats and murders of environmental leaders is an especially important subject  because these leaders raise awareness about different topics, but especially in many of the territories to have been impacted upon by over 50 year armed conflict, in addition to territories which have held appeal for drug trafficking and industries dependent on extraction of raw materials. The environmental leaders are protecting resource-rich areas from  legal and illegal exploitation, which exposes them to danger (Arvin, J. 2020). As a result they are perceived as a threat to the interests of many illegal groups like the Clan del Golfo (AGC), the ELN, and FARC dissidents among others, as well as  certain business sectors and the elite private interests  of some sectors of Colombian society such as the mining sector. According to the annual report Clockwork Orange from Somos Defensores, the majority of the cases reported throughout 2018  had been committed by different groups: 111  by unknown actors,  16  by neo-paramilitary structures, 12 by dissidents or post-demobilized groups of the FARC, 9 by the ELN and 7 by the public forces. These reports differ  from the State declarations implying that left-wing insurgents such as the ELN and FARC dissidents were chiefly responsible for the murders. More than  half of these cases take place in four specific regions of the country in which the rural areas are the most affected, specifically in departments such as Antioquia, Arauca, Cauca and Caqueta. However, it should be noted that these areas are the most violent for environmental defenders because the Colombian state has a very weak presence in certain areas of these departments (and many others throughout the country, leaving a huge vacuum of power, meaning these areas become the focus of territorial control where many  illegal groups compete to fill the vacuum). These are regions with a poor state presence and the presence of illegal actors who either target leaders because their work presents a challenge to their interests, or assume responsibility for carrying out assassinations on behalf of third parties who pay for this service.

The statistics mentioned above provide an idea of the scale of violence facing social leaders and human rights defenders throughout the country. However, it is also necessary to look at individual cases in order to understand more and feel the loss of these leaders. One example of the threats faced by environmental leaders is the case of Gonzalo Cardona Molina, who worked for 23 years at the ProAves Foundation protecting the Yellow-eared Parrot from extinction until he was murdered in January 2021. According to ProAves, Gonzalo had been threatened by armed groups unable to understand his love for the endangered species and his lack of interest in economic gain or politics. His friends also reported that FARC dissidents warned the leader that he could not circulate through the ProAves Loros Andinos Reserve, in Roncesvalles, because it is an area under their jurisdiction. Another case of abherrant murder is Wilton Orrego León, a park ranger from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park. Wilton was shot dead in January 2019 , close to Tayrona National Park, in the Caribbean department of Magdalena. To demonstrate the risks faced by leaders, the area where Wilton was assassinated is part of a strategic corridor for the illegal arms and drugs markets and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, because of its topography, is a hiding place for criminal gangs and illegal armed groups such as the self-titled Autodefensas Conquistadores de la Sierra Nevada, an illegal organisation made up of former paramilitaries which was formerly known as the Pachencas. It seems a cruel irony that areas of immense environmental value are also areas with a strategic value for illicit interests. This means work in defense of the environment often leads to danger.

Despite the constant attacks and tragedies faced by environmental leaders, their work in defense of nature continues and leaders continue to emerge and work in defense of our natural wonders. One leader who refuses to give in is Angelica Ortiz, an indigenous leader and general secretary of the Fuerza de Mujeres Wayúu (Wayuu Women’s Force), an organization composed of female leaders from the Wayúu indigenous community in La Guajira. This organisation fights against extractive practices, such as the El Cerrejón coal mine, in northeastern Colombia. This mine is one of the largest open pit mines in the world, but its creation and development led to the displacement of several communities and damaging impacts at an environmental and social level. Her job as a defender of environmental rights has been invaluable for defending water as a fundamental right for the territory in the face of the expansion and coal exploitation in La Guajira, work that saw her nominated for the National Award for the Defense of Human Rights in Colombia in 2016, in the category of Defender of the Year. Therefore, the most important fact, even if their work in defense of nature is dangerous as it puts them against powerful state and private interests, is that they continue to fight for the fundamental right of a healthy and balanced environment. Thus, these cases remind us that one aspect that still echoes in all citizens is undoubtedly that these people perform a vital and commendable work not only in the defense of our natural resources and species, but also for the balance of society; work that puts them at high risk given the weak state presence and proliferation of dangerous illegal groups in many regions of Colombia.

However, the national government does not seem to be in agreement about the meaning of the job these people are carrying out, nor has it seemed particularly effective at introducing measures to guarantee their safety. According to El Tiempo, one of the current measures is that the Defense Ministry must collect the information, analyze the context, identify territories and make recommendations to the government and the President, who directly controls the information and decides on necessary actions for certain vulnerable sectors such as Cauca. Even though the government implemented some strategies, such as Prevention and Protection, these have not been completely effective in terms of applying measures to reduce threats and assassinations of leaders in the communities. That is because the government accepts as official figures homicides that have been verified by the United Nations or other organizations, but leaves out reports and context analysis of homicides and other attacks against social leaders and human rights defenders in Colombia which are not documented by the local authorities in regions where the crimes occurred. In addition, the picture becomes worse when seeing that organizations such as Amnesty International state that the violence has not decreased despite restrictions introduced due to the pandemic, in fact the targeting of leaders may have become easier seeing as most leaders have been restricted to their homes. With this in mind, they recommend that the government must take urgent and definitive measures to guarantee the safety of social leaders, and carry out a campaign of non-stigmatization regarding the work of social leaders. One other notable point to mention is the Escazú Agreement, which is a pact agreed upon by the countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This regional agreement aims to make information related to environmental protection and dangers more transparent and available while offering better security guarantees for those working in defense of nature. However, at the time of writing, Colombia has not ratified the implementation of this important agreement.

Colombia has a long way to go to be able to guarantee the security of those who fight against injustice. Environmental defenders have been the first line of defence against the impacts and causes of climate breakdown as well as all the other challenges which the environment faces within Colombian territory. Over the years they are being challenged, and the damaging aspects of industries have also devastated forests, wetlands, oceans and the biodiversity within these essential places. Yet, despite the clear evidence of the importance of their work for the well being and the increasing dangers and threats faced by environmental leaders, many companies, financiers and the governments fail to protect them and their vital peaceful labor (Somos defensores, 2020). According to Human Rights Watch (2021) “Authorities should initiate a process to simplify and strengthen prevention and protection mechanisms under Colombian law. They should ensure civil society groups and international human rights and humanitarian agencies participate meaningfully in that process. The aim should be to coordinate existing mechanisms, overhauling, or abrogating those that are ineffective or have an unclear mandate.” Furthermore, other proposals suggested by INDEPAZ to protect social leaders include the strengthening of social organizations and self-protection mechanisms of communities such as: the indigenous, cimarron and peasant guards (unarmed protection guards who seek to defend communities in marginalized areas); second, regional pacts on non-violence and against stigmatization promoted by territorial councils of peace and other institutional spaces for participation and security guarantees; and finally, comprehensive compliance with peace agreements and participatory implementation of development plans with a territorial approach. Therefore, the recognition of their work and their investigations by civil society is the most important legacy that the assassinated leaders leave behind. Similarly, it is also necessary to have more regional pacts on non-violence and moves against stigmatization promoted by territorial councils of peace and other institutional spaces of participation and security. The Colombian government should delimitate protected areas over the country’s land, with a clear demarcation of strategic environmental areas and aim to limit agricultural expansion. Lastly, there should be a reorientation of the Colombian security forces , following what was included in the report Peace and Environmental Protection in Colombia: Proposals for Sustainable Rural Development: “the Office of the Attorney General and the police must effectively investigate crimes against social leaders and environmentalists, and the justice system must show an interest in solving these cases. The military’s new doctrine should include the fight against deforestation and other environmental preservation initiatives”. Without a doubt efforts need to be made to guarantee that Colombians leave behind the problem of social indifference, becoming more interested about what is happening with the defenders of environmental rights in the country. Leaders like these give so much, sadly including their lives on occasion, to protect Colombia’s environment. They warrant our attention, respect and solidarity.

It is clear that the current situation continues to worsen each day and according to Michel Forst, special rapporteur for human rights for the United Nations office in Colombia, “The murders of social leaders are political crimes”. Likewise, a report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, denounced that the situation in this matter in the country is the worst since 2014 and that the State must fulfill its work of defense and protection of these leaders. Thus, the number of victims keep piling up under the blind eye of the government and most of society, causing us to miss out on great individuals. Additionally, it is necessary for society to be aware of the enormous value that these people demonstrate for the work they do, since it is not easy to find leaders who dedicate their lives to saving the fauna and flora of a region with so much passion and love; leaders such as Gonzalo Cardona and Wilton Orrego who have the right intention to help solve environmental problems that humanity has created for itself and despite the cries for help, the government does not respond appropriately enough for such a severe issue that must be addressed not only because it is their duty as a social state of law, but because it is a key point to fully comply with the peace process seeing as, according to INDEPAZ, 166 leaders were assassinated in 2020 in addition to the 36 ex-FARC-EP combatants who signed the peace agreement and laid down their weapons. However, it is here where we can find ways to help in our daily lives; raising awareness and making this information known to more people so that the struggles of these people are not simply taken for granted. The brighter the light we shine upon darkness, the less power it will have over us.

*Article written by Mariery Arrieta, Camila Cepeda & Vanessa Jimenez.

References

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