UN says 729 human rights activists killed in Colombia since 1994
UN says 729 human rights activists killed in Colombia since 1994
UN human rights body decries insecure and hostile environment
30 activists killed and 20 others targeted in first nine months of 2015
Associated Press in Bogotá
Friday 20 November 2015 15.42 EST
A total of 729 human rights activists have been killed in Colombia in the past two decades, according to the United Nations. Thats an average of nearly three a month.
Thirty activists were killed in the first nine months of this year, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights office in Colombia said in a statement released on Friday. A further 20 activists have been the targets of attempted murder in 2015, the statement said.
The statement says an insecure and hostile environment persists for rights workers in the Andean nation, with authorities unable to guarantee their safety.
The figures are being published as talks on ending Colombias half-century-old internal conflict enter their third year. The government says it expects a final deal in early 2016
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/20/colombia-human-rights-activists-murders