Human rights speaking tour in Canada follows local and regional elections in Colombia

Bucaramanga, Colombia

Three Colombian human rights defenders – Ivan Madero, Julia Figueroa and Andrea Nocove – will be visiting Canada just days after regional and local elections in Colombia.

Aljazeera reports that 32 governors, more than 1,000 mayors and thousands of regional and local legislative legislators were elected this past Sunday October 27 in the first regional and local level elections since the signing of the peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Ivan, Julia and Andrea can speak to the implications of these elections on human rights and the environmental agenda in Colombia.

Bogota

The BBC reports, “Claudia López, a gay politician [and a member of the Green Alliance Party] who advertises herself as ‘incorruptible’, has become the first woman to be elected mayor of Colombia’s capital, Bogotá.”

That article highlights, “The Mayor of Bogotá is widely considered the second-most important political post in Colombia after the presidency.”

Barrancabermeja

Alfonso Eljach, a businessman and lawyer, was elected the Mayor of Barrancabermeja.

Blu Radio reports, “On the issue of fracking, the elected mayor of the oil port said that ‘at the moment it is not clear if that practice affects the environment and aquifers, if so, I strongly oppose it.’”

Bucaramanga

W Radio reports, “With 37,982 votes, the Anti-Corruption League was leading the election of councillors in the capital of Santander. This list was created by Bucaramanga’s ex-president, Rodolfo Hernández.”

That article adds, “The Green Alliance party was the second most voted movement in Bucaramanga with 35,056 votes and 12.31 per cent of the vote.”

Election violence

The BBC also reports, “Seven candidates were killed, a dozen were attacked and more than 100 received threats across the country, according to the electoral observation mission. Despite the violence, the head of the national registry office said the polls were the most peaceful of recent local and regional elections.”

Speaking tour

Ivan Madero from the human rights group CREDHOS and Julia Figueroa and Andrea Nocove from the CCALCP legal collective will be in Ottawa (November 4), Vancouver (November 6) and Nanaimo (November 8) to speak on the current political situation in Colombia. Click on the links above for details on those public forums.