María del Pilar Hurtado: an advocate who lived, and died, for people’s rights

María del Pilar Hurtado

According to Indepaz (Instituto de Estudios para el Desarrollo y la Paz), between the 1st of January 2016 and the 20th of May 2019, 837 social leaders were murdered in Colombia, with a particular spike coming since the signing of the peace agreement in 2016 between the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) and the government of former president Santos. One of the most controversial cases in this wave of violence is that of María del Pilar Hurtado. She was a social leader, who lived in Tierralta, Córdoba, and her case became notorious as somebody recorded and posted a video of her young son mourning while the body of his mother lay on the floor. This death moved thousands of people around the country and even provoked reactions from international organisations due to the powerful images shown in the video.

As a social leader, María del Pilar Hurtado had worked for her community. She started her social work when she was living in Puerto Tejada (Cauca) denouncing kidnappings and murders in the Casas de Pique (homes in certain areas with a gruesome reputation for interrogation, torture and killings by illegal groups). Due to this work, Maria del Pilar Hurtado was forced to uproot her family on account of threats against her life. After that, she moved to Tierra Alta where she continued her work as a social leader. She met on several occasions with the mayor of Tierra Alta due to the lack of houses in the region and worked with the victim´s foundation Forward with Strength (Funviavor, in Spanish). It was reported that in particular, Maria was representing members of her local community who were living in an invasión (informal housing built on land belonging to large landowners) on land owned by the father of the mayor. Her death, on June 21st, 2019, represents not just a mother who was killed in front of her son, but also represents the extinguishing of a voice of hope for the future of the country. A voice which was brutally silenced. Because of the impact that this case, and in particular the video of the killing´s aftermath, generated in the country and around the  world; people called for justice. The international media spread the case and made visible many other similar cases as well as highlighting the actual situation in the country. Nevertheless, the government has chosen to ignore this and many other cases using different strategies to gloss over these brutal acts instead of acting and cleaning its image. 

As days go by, the country and Maria del Pilar Hurtado´s family are in need of answers to this case. This case needs, at least, a judicial decision regarding the people who are involved in it. Although this case has had more representation in the international sphere, it has gradually, and with the complicity of the national government, ceased to be a principal topic. And unfortunately being forgotten, as in many other cases in the Colombian system, is a likely outcome. The south of Córdoba, where Tierralta lies, is a precarious territory due to the presence of several illegal armed groups. The territory had historically had the presence of FARC guerrillas and the peace agreement in 2016, and the demobilisation which followed, created a power vacuum in the region. The Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC and also known as the Clan de Golfo) have looked to extend its influence in the region and have been involved in the conflict with the Caparrapos organisation, a splinter group from the AGC with links to Mexican drug cartels. Clashes between these neo paramilitary groups have displaced thousands from rural communities in a region with high levels of poverty. Cases of displacement have occurred as a direct consequence of fighting between rival groups, but also as a result of threats against anyone unfortunate enough to be identified as an obstacle by the illegal powers.

Unfortunately, Hurtado’s family is not the only one that has gone through a pain like this. For example, a year before, Temístocles Machado was murdered. He was a social leader, who defended the land rights in his community in Buenaventura. He fought for the conservation of the lands located on the internal alternating route. Like María del Pilar Hurtado, he was an advocate for the rights of marginalized communities, like so many other people (such as social leaders and indigenous leaders) who have been assassinated since the signing of the peace agreement. The United Nations and the Colombian state declare that almost 340 people have been murdered since 2016, but as mentioned previously, other organisations such as Indepaz maintain there have been almost 840 murders. The Colombian state, as subject of international law, has rights and duties. Its main duty is to maintain its sovereignty, but furthermore, the state has to fulfil its duties in terms of respecting and protecting human rights. Colombia has been unable to satisfy those obligations, especially those regarding social leaders such as the mother of four María del Pilar Hurtado.

In conclusion, the Colombian government, as well as Colombian society, must play a proactive part in order to defend each of our social leaders and not let ourselves be blinded, so in that way, we can know and understand what is happening in our country. The government should look for strategies with assistance from the international sphere, where they work by means of cooperation and can find a solution and not leave these cases in the past. As has been seen in recent years, the rights of everyone as well as social leaders, need to be respected and defended. The peace process needs to be supported much more by the national institutions to ensure its success, and ultimately provide a safer environment for leaders such as María del Pilar Hurtado.

*Article written by Valeria Altafulla, Rafael Daza, Andrea Giron & Gilma Gomez