Indigenous Defenders in Colombia

2. Juan Francisco Luna Álvarez (Zenú)

Image description~A photo of the Versalles district of San José de Uré, Colombia where Juan Francisco Luna Álvarez lived and later a victim of a targeted killing ( Image Source ).

According to news reports,  three armed men  shot Juan Francisco and subsequently  incinerated  his property.  Assassinated  near his rural home in the Versalles district of San José de Uré, Colombia on August 8, 2019, Juan Francisco Luna Álvarez was 60-year-old. Authorities, based on the accounts of some witnesses, believe the killers are members of  Los Caparrapos , an infamous criminal group of the region with ties to drug trafficking. 

Juan Francisco was a campesino and member of the Indigenous Guard of Zenú del Alto San Jorge Reservation. As of 2015, the Zenú Indigenous Guard draws members from  47 communities, and works to protect over 19,000 individuals  from armed groups entering their territory. The guard also serves to maintain the Zenú’s stance of neutrality in conflicts between armed groups and the Colombian government, especially by protecting young community members from recruitment by armed groups. 

With his family forced to flee following Juan Francisco’s murder, authorities of the San José de Uré municipality  convened a security council  to discuss additional measures that could mitigate the growing violence against Indigenous people and campesinos in the region a few days after the tragic event. There remains a standing reward for anyone who has information on the whereabouts of those responsible for the crime, but no recent updates have been released. At the time of this writing, Juan Francisco’s case remains unresolved, and his family still lives in fear of further retaliation.

3. Cristina Bautista Taquinás (Nasa)

Image description~Cristina Bautista Taquinas looks directly at the camera, wearing a straw hat and glasses ( Image Source ).

Click right arrow next to Cristina's picture for video of Cristina speaking at a 2019 rally ( Video Source ).

Killed on October 29, 2019, Cristina Bautista Taquinás was working at a barricaded checkpoint set up by the Ne’h Wesx Indigenous Guard to protect their territory from violence. Cristina’s community is located in the La Luz sector of Tacueyó, Cauca, a region especially hard-hit by a years-long  wave of violence against social leaders . The group that killed Cristina and  four other members  of the Indigenous Guard had spread word the day prior that they had  captured and intended to murder  another Indigenous community member. Cristina and volunteer guards had set up the checkpoint to apprehend the black vehicle supposedly transporting the kidnapped individual. Those inside the vehicle, reportedly a leader of a dissident rebel group along with two of his men,  demanded to be let through the checkpoint , before opening fire. In addition to the deaths of Cristina and four guards, the incident included the injuring of  five other Nasa individuals . Individuals from the Tacueyó reservation believe the armed group to be an offshoot of a now-defunct FARC group called "Dagoberto Ramos."

Cristina Bautista was a Nasa traditional leader, social worker, land defender and Indigenous rights activist who had long raised concerns about the Colombian government’s failure to uphold Indigenous rights. As a  2017 Indigenous Fellow  of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, Cristina was well-equipped to raise issues to governing bodies and amplify human rights abuses concerning Indigenous Peoples in Colombia. In April 2019, Cristina was a speaker at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She was known for being an  outspoken advocate  for Indigenous women to hold more opportunities both inside and outside of their immediate communities. In this capacity, Cristina was also known as a witness and advocate to the UN in order to make sure murdered Indigenous leaders and repressed protestors who were standing up for their rights would not be forgotten. In October 2019, Cristina would once again showcase her leadership as she delivered a powerful speech in Toribio, Resguardo San Francisco, Cauca that denounced previous killings of Indigenous Guard members. She made it known that the Ne’h Wesx would not back down in the fight for their rights as  she exclaimed :

"If we stay quiet, they kill us, and if we speak, they kill us too. So, we speak.”

 Cristina’s death is a stark reminder of the daily dangers Indigenous Peoples face in rural Colombia , as they are often left to defend themselves from territorial incursions. Organizations have denounced the Colombian government  for being complicit  in the violations of Indigenous rights  through inaction .  The UN , the Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca (Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca - CRIC), and the  Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia  (National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, ONIC) condemned the massacre. The ONIC recorded  over 120 Indigenous people  killed in Colombia in 2019 and called the massacre part of a  genocide  against Indigenous Peoples.

Cristina’s leadership has continued to inspire Colombians to protest ongoing violence against Indigenous communities. In 2019, the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia  dedicated a mural  to Cristina and a web-based news repository  commemorated her  as well.

4. Kevin Mestizo Coicué and 5. Eugenio Tenorio (Nasa)

Image descriptions~Image 1: Nasa children in Zolapa - Jambaló (Cauca - Colombia) holding messages of peace, which represents what Kevin Mestizo Coicué and Eugenio Tenorio stood for when they were called to protect members of the Nasa community at the time of their deaths ( Image 1 Source ). Image 2: Kevin Mestizo Coicué and Eugenio Tenorio served as members of Kiwe Thegnas, a volunteer-based group of protectors. Image of "Kiwe Thegnas - Casa de la guardia-" by somos2013, licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/  ( Image 2 Source ).

Click right arrow next to the first image to view the second one.

Kevin Mestizo Coicué and Eugenio Tenorio were two of three Indigenous Guards  murdered on August 10, 2019 , amidst rising violence and instability in the Indigenous region of Cauca, Colombia. Kevin and Eugenio, along with their colleague Julio Taquinas Pilue, were  called to accompany a group of Nasa people on their way to a coffee fair  after hearing word of danger in the area, but as they boarded the bus, armed groups opened fire. According to the Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca (Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca - CRIC),  two people were killed and five were injured , while the Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia (National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, ONIC) reported that  three Indigenous defenders were killed and seven were injured  during the attack.

Kevin, Eugenio, and Julio were  residents of the San Francisco Indigenous reserve , and served as Indigenous Guards, or Kiwe Thegnas.  Kiwe Thegnas are a volunteer-based group of protectors  who serve to mediate conflict and defend the Indigenous Nasa people against danger. The guards are similar to mediators– they are unarmed, differing from a police force.  Many Kiwe Thegnas have been killed  for their work opposing illegal armed groups and seizing weapons and drugs to protect their territory.

Kevin was 24 years old at the time of his death; he leaves behind one child, his partner, his mother and father, and his Nasa community. Kevin’s dedication to public service started at a young age, when in 2007, he began serving as  president of the Ullucos Village’s community action board . In 2009, he served as a village guard coordinator, and later, in 2015, he was elected central sheriff. As a Kiwe Thegna, he was a crucial member of his community.  Kevin's parents say they will remember him  as an active, respectful, responsible and very dedicated young man, unafraid of public intervention in a time of such pain for the Nasa People. 

Eugenio was 46 years old at the time of his death. He devoted himself to protecting his people, starting at the age of 33 by becoming a member of the Kiwe Thegnas for 12 years. In 1994, Eugenio  served as the sheriff  of the Toribio Reservation where he was from, and in 2013, he became the guard coordinator of his community. The Kiwe Thegnas will remember him as a man of few words who was central to the group’s travels across the entire territory. Eugenio  leaves behind three children, his partner, his mother and father, and a distraught community .

The massacre is linked to one of many armed, illegal narco-trafficking groups that have terrorized the region with violence. According to a TeleSur news story on August 14, 2019, illegal armed groups had  killed 36 Nasa people  in 2019 and threatened many more. Members of the  Indigenous Guard denounced the bloodshed asserting , “We condemn an act so low, executed by an armed group against these life guardians who have defended the territory with their batons.”

6. Abraham Domicó (Emberá Eyábida)

Image descriptions~Image 1: A photo of Tarazá, Colombia where Abraham Domicó, an Indigenous member of the Emberá Eyábida community in Tarazá, lived with his family ( Image Source ). Image 2: A Twitter post referencing Abraham's killing. Feliciano Valencia  @FelicianoValen  (2019). [online] Tweet posted on 14 August 10:58 a.m.,  https://twitter.com/FelicianoValen/status/1161698415962705920 .

Click right arrow next to the first image to view the second one.

Abraham Domicó, an Indigenous member of the Emberá Eyábida community in Tarazá, Colombia,  was shot and killed  in his home on August 14, 2019, while his wife and children were inside. Unidentified armed men ambushed the family. Despite attempts to revive Abraham, he was pronounced dead before arriving at the local hospital. 

Devoted to agricultural practices and justice, Abraham was 30 years old at the time of his death. He was a respected member of his community and a loving father of four. Following Abraham’s death, the  Organización Indígena de Antioquia  (Indigenous Organization of Antioquia) called on the United Nations, as well as other national and international human rights defenders, to prevent the escalation of armed conflict. Abraham's friends and family still await answers.

7. Oneida Epiayú (Wayúu)

Image description~Oneida Epiayú is photographed with her head tilted down, smiling. Her face is decorated with red paint, and colorful art hangs in the background ( Image Source ).

 Murdered in broad daylight on October 17, 2019 , while eating lunch at a restaurant in Riohacha, Colombia, Oneida Epiayú was a leader in the Wayúu community. Two men entered the restaurant, still wearing their motorcycle helmets, and shot and killed Oneida. The attackers also gravely injured four other people, including Oneida's husband José González and a 12-year-old child. It is unclear whether or not the assassination was intended for her or her husband, and further investigations have yet to be made public.

Oneida was known in the community for  revealing alleged corruption in food programs  administered by the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (Colombian Family Welfare Institute, ICBF). In addition to her work as a community leader in Alta Guajira, in northern Colombia,  Oneida was a politician and lawyer .

 Authorities claimed Oneida was not a recognized leader  or under any protection, yet she was clearly an active member and leader within the Wayúu community. Oneida’s murder occurred the same day as  two other attacks on Indigenous leaders  in Colombia, and it was the 115th killing of an Indigenous person in 2019.

8. Dumar Mestizo (Nasa)

Image descriptions~Image 1: Photo of Dumar Mestizo uploaded to his Facebook page on July 28, 2018 ( Image Source ). Image 2: Photos from a Twitter post denouncing Dumar's killing. The left image is a photo of Dumar and the right is a photograph of Dumar from behind, wearing a sweatshirt and painting a face on a mural. Jhoe Sauca G.  @CricDdhh  (2019). [online] Tweet posted on 4 October 6:10 p.m.,  https://twitter.com/CricDdhh/status/1180289219215929344  ( Image Source ).

Click right arrow in first picture to view the second image.

Killed in the rural area of Toribío, Cauca, Colombia on October 4, 2019, allegedly by  heavily armed men  on  motorcycles , Dumar Mestizo was shot while he was on his way home. Dumar, 24 years old, left behind his mother and five siblings. He lived in the  La Esperanza village within the Jambaló Nasa reservation .

Dumar Mestizo was a skilled artist, art teacher, and integral member of the  Álvaro Ulcúe Chocué Youth Movement . This movement, founded in 1980, aims to train Indigenous people in many art forms. Specializing in murals, Dumar was known for his large artworks that depicted the natural wonders of northern Cauca and included both spiritual and symbolic elements of Nasa culture. However, these murals were not merely beautiful imagery, as many of them were also imbued with  political messages . One such message included in one of Dumar’s murals states: “Podrán matarnos, pero nunca callarán nuestras voces,” meaning:

“They might kill us, but they will never quiet our voices.”

Dumar’s murals acted as a platform for him to express the need in his community for peace as well as resistance. His passion for art could be attributed to his childhood;  a neighbor fondly remembered  Dumar as an always-smiling boy who was drawn to art at a young age, as a form of self-expression and identity. As an art teacher for the program Youth Guard of Jambaló (Jóvenes del Resguardo de Jambaló), Dumar was heralded by a friend as a mentor who provided a “healthy space,” which helped keep youth from joining nearby armed groups. 

By using his art to uplift his community and  resist recruitment efforts  by armed groups,  Dumar carried on the work of his father , Nasa leader Marino Mestizo, who was murdered in 2009. Marino had been the president of the Junta de Acción Comunal (JAC/Community Action Board) in La Esperanza, as well as the Legal Coordinator for the Indigenous Council of Jambaló. 

The North Cauca Indigenous Association  denounced both killings stating , “We hold responsible the Colombian government for showing total indifference to the incidents of genocide facing Indigenous People.” Dumar’s death serves as a reminder of the crisis that many Indigenous Peoples are enduring in Cauca, which debilitates peacebuilding or unity among communities.

9. Marlon Ferney Pacho (Nasa)

Image description~Photo of Marlon Ferney Pacho wearing a red polo shirt and the baton carried by Nasa Indigenous defenders. Photo uploaded to his Facebook page on April 30, 2019 ( Image Source ).

In the early evening of September 26, 2019, four armed strangers attacked Marlon Ferney Pacho. The alleged perpetrators dragged the 24-year-old from his residence and  fatally shot him multiple times .

Marlon was a member of the Indigenous Nasa community in Colombia, and he resided in Popayán, Cauca. He was a secretary on the counsel of the Talaga reservation, part of the leadership structure of the  Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca  (CRIC). CRIC is a regional Indigenous association in Cauca dedicated to defending Indigenous history, culture, and rights. In addition, Marlon had served as a member of the local Indigenous Guard. Marlon’s community has denounced the national government’s complacency toward armed violence and have reached out to both local and regional levels of government for immediate action. 

 CRIC denounced  the killing and  declared  that its community will “continue to make united efforts in order to defend the lives and land of each and every one of us… neither our territory nor our people are instruments for the social conflict that unfolds in the current Colombian climate.” The Indigenous Guard embarked upon investigations to track down those responsible for Marlon’s death, but no leads nor arrests have surfaced.

10. Daniel Rojas (Nasa)

Image description~Photo of Daniel Rojas taking a selfie outside a brick building. Justice for Colombia  @JFColombia  (2019). [online] Tweet posted on 17 May 3:55 a.m.,  https://twitter.com/JFColombia/status/1129339624952934406   (  Image Source ).

Daniel Rojas, president of the Junta de Acción Comunal (Community Action Board, JAC) in Caloto, a town north of Cauca, Colombia was 44 years old when  killed on May 14, 2019 around 8 pm after refusing to leave his home . 

Daniel was a well-known and respected leader in his community, and had been  the president of the JAC since 2018 . Under his leadership, Daniel actively encouraged the youth of López Adentro village to take part in sports, soccer in particular, and Indigenous cultural practices which helped strengthen community bonds. He also served as a member of the Indigenous Guard and was well known for defending Indigenous land and agricultural rights, especially in terms of illicit crops. 

Although Daniel had received threatening messages via phone calls and had warned community members about them,  no protection was provided  by the state. As of now, the perpetrators have not been identified. The  United Nations has condemned the killing  and the Nasa community has continued to seek answers to the wave of violence that has been affecting the community and especially Indigenous social leaders. In response to Daniel's death, the Asociación de Cabildos Indígenas del Norte del Cauca (Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, ACIN)  denounced the Colombian government’s inaction  in the face of systemic threats and attacks against defenders throughout the country.