On November 30, 2024, and again on January 2, 2025, CREDHOS confirmed that the armed group Ejército Gaitanista de Colombia – EGC (also known as Clan del Golfo or Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC) has a plan to murder CREDHOS’ president, Iván Madero. CREDHOS’ members, as well as other civil society organizations and communities of the Magdalena Medio region such as FEDEPESAN have been threatened and stigmatized for over a year, as part of the armed group’s process of territorial, political, economic, and social control, expansion and strengthening in the region. We call on the Colombian state to guarantee the protection of the civil society organizations and communities of the Magdalena Medio region.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: April 9, 2025
Dear Mr. Minister,
I am writing to express my deep concern for the safety and security of members of civil society organizations and communities at the Magdalena Medio region of Colombia, particularly the Corporación Regional para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos – CREDHOS, and the Federación de Pescadores Artesanales Ambientalistas y Turísticos del Departamento de Santander – FEDEPESAN, located in Barrancabermeja.
On October 30, 2024, written threats were publicly made against CREDHOS, under the name of the Ejército Gaitanista de Colombia (EGC). On January 1, 2025, CREDHOS received another threat following many other threats received during the last months, declaring them a “military objective”, stigmatizing them as collaborators with other armed groups and trying to force them to leave the area. CREDHOS documented that people in the rural areas of Magdalena Medio have heard about plans of the EGC to attack CREDHOS president, Iván Madero.
I urge you to exercise the utmost diligence in effectively fulfilling the Ministry of Interior’s duty to implement the decrees 2078 of 2017 and 660 of 2018, in so far as they require you and other authorities to protect human rights defenders, and to guarantee the safety of organizations such as CREDHOS and FEDEPESAN, in the context of persistent threats against members of civil society organizations and communities in the Magdalena Medio region.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
Other Urgent Actions for this Case
- First UA Issued: [Colombia 12.24]
- Second UA Issued: [Colombia 12.24]
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