Photo essay: Europe mobilizes on behalf of silenced social leaders in Colombia
Photo essay: Europe mobilizes on behalf of silenced social leaders in Colombia
On the 5th of April, a group of more than 500 protesters marched to The Hague to denounce the systematic murder of social leaders in Colombia before the International Criminal Court, which has been largely met with impunity so far in the South American nation. Español
Ana María Arbeláez Trujillo
22 April 2019
On the 5th of April, a group of more than 500 protesters, made up of mostly Colombians who belong to activist groups in Europe, marched to The Hague to denounce the systematic murder of social leaders in Colombia before the International Criminal Court, which has been largely met with impunity so far in the South American nation. The hashtag #MarchamosALaHaya (we march to The Hague) helped spread the word on social media.
The mobilisation towards the International Criminal Court began on the 28th of March in Paris. A group of 15 people began their journey towards Holland carrying with them a banner that displayed the names of the 472 social leaders that have been killed in Colombia since 2016.
Tamara Ospina, one of the marchers, tells us that throughout their journey, they stopped in various cities where they carried out artistic protests that had a dual purpose: on the one hand, to transmit to the international community in an emotional way the grief that Colombia is experiencing due to this immense loss, and on the other hand, to send out a message of support and solidarity to those who continue defending human rights despite the difficulties.
Once in The Hague, the voices of protesters and marchers joined together with those of hundreds of Colombians originating from Holland, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, the US and many more.
More:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democraciaabierta/photo-essay-europe-mobilizes-behalf-silenced-social-leaders-colombia/