Protect those who protect us
Jani Silva, Danelly Estupiñan, Joel Rodríguez and María Ciro defend the environment in Colombia. They face death threats and persecution for it. Read their stories.
Colombia is the country in Latin America with the highest number of killings of human rights defenders and the second most dangerous in the world to carry out this work.
Who faces the most risk? The defenders who work to defend the land, territory, and environment in rural areas, in Indigenous, campesino (peasant farmer) and Afro-Colombian communities. They find themselves trapped between the violence caused by the armed conflict and disputes over land and natural resources.
Jani Silva, Amazonian environmental defender
Jani was born in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. She is a brave campesina who has dedicated her life to defending our oxygen and our water. In 2008, Jani co-founded the Association for the Comprehensive and Sustainable Development of the Perla Amazónica (ADISPA). ADISPA defends the rights of more than 1,200 campesinos living in the "Perla Amazónica peasant farmer reserve area" in Putumayo, a uniquely diverse region in the south of Colombia.
Amnesty International
Jani Silva, Amazonian environmental defender
Jani fights against the environmental pollution caused by the oil company Amerisur and in favour of the implementation of the peace agreement so that the armed groups will stop controlling her land and terrorizing the people who live there.
Because of her work, Jani has had a gun pointed at her head about to be shot, she has been displaced from her land and has found out about plans to kill her. For Jani and the members of ADISPA, to be able to keep defending our environment, the armed groups in Colombia must be urgently disbanded. This is only possible through the creation of the "Commission for the Verification of Guarantees for Human Rights Defenders"
"We defend the ecosystems that allow life to exist."
Joel Chipiaje Sikuani, Indigenous environmental defender
Growing up among displacement and poverty, Joel heard stories of when his father and the elders in his Indigenous community, ASEINPOME, lived in their ancestral land full of natural resources, water, and food. They told the story of how armed individuals forced them to leave their home by committing violent acts against their race: the hunting and systematic killing of Indigenous people.
Amnesty International
Joel Chipiaje Sikuani, Indigenous environmental defender
In 2015, after 30 years of forced displacement, Joel, together with 42 brave Sikuani-Kubeo families, decided to return to their ancestral land in Meta a territory known for being the "agricultural breadbasket of Colombia". They now fight for recognition that the land is theirs.
Because of their work, Joel and the ASEINPOME Indigenous community have received threats from people who want to take over their land. They have burnt down houses in the community and constantly intimidate them. For Joel and the ASEINPOME Indigenous community, to be able to avoid armed individuals once again taking over this land rich in natural resources, the Colombian government must grant ownership of their ancestral lands to the ASEINPOME Indigenous community. This is only possible through the creation of the "Commission for the Verification of Guarantees for Human Rights Defenders"
"We defend the land, the air, the water that gives us life."
Danelly Estupiñan. Afro-Colombian environmental defender
Danelly grew up among mangroves and Afro-Colombian music. At 15 years-old she decided to dedicate her life to defending her urban African land from the economic interests of non-state actors such as companies and armed groups.
Amnesty International
Danelly Estupiñan, Afro-Colombian environmental defender
Danelly belongs to Black Communities Process (PCN), a coalition that coordinates more than 140 organizations that work for the rights of black communities. Because of her work Danelly suffers from constant death threats. Unknown individuals have broken into her home, and due to the constant surveillance and order to kill her, she has had to continuously move homes.
For the threats against Danelly to stop, the Public Prosecutor's office must urgently proceed with the investigation into them, which is possible through the creation of the "Commission for the Verification of Guarantees for Human Rights Defenders"
"I long to be able to keep dedicating my life to defending the rights of others."
María Ciro campesina environmental defender
Raised in the Colombia countryside, shaped by the work to produce food in the midst of the Colombian armed conflict, María Ciro is a campesina woman who has dedicated her life to showing that nature is not an object to be exploited but a living being which we rely upon.
Amnesty International
María Ciro, campesina environmental defender
María is part of the Catatumbo Social Integration Committee (CISCA), in Catatumbo, a region that has never known peace due to the fact that, despite the peace agreements, armed conflict and militarization continue there. CISCA fights for human rights related to campesina community land, in particular the right to food, work, a healthy environment and the substitution of coca crops for legal crops.
Because of their work, María and the members of CISCA have suffered from stigmatization at the hands of the Colombian state. For María and her colleagues to be able to keep protecting our relationship with nature and our environment, the substitution of coca crops for legal crops.in consultation with the communities is fundamental. This is only possible through the creation of the "commission for the verification of guarantees for Human Rights Defenders"
"If rural farmers disappear, food disappears."
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