PBI-Colombia celebrates its 25th anniversary!
On November 20, the staff and volunteers from the Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project gathered together with many of the human rights defenders they accompany to celebrate the 25th anniversary of PBI in Colombia.
The gathering took place at the Museo Nacional de Colombia in Bogota.
As noted in the book Unarmed Bodyguards: International Accompaniment for the Protection of Human Rights, the first PBI team arrived in Bogota in October 1994 and by January 1995 had established a presence in Barrancabermeja after an invitation by CREDHOS, the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights.
More about those early months can be read at PBI-Colombia and CREDHOS, 25 years of accompaniment and defending human rights.
While Ivan Madero, the president of CREDHOS, along with Julia Figueroa and Andrea Nocove of CCALCP were recently in Canada on an advocacy tour, PBI-Canada helped organize a gathering in Toronto of past PBI volunteers to Colombia, Board members, friends and allies to mark the anniversary (see photo below).
In this short video from several years ago, Madero talks about the significance of PBI-Colombia’s accompaniment of CREDHOS.
And CCALCP, which was present at the gathering on November 20, tweeted, “We recognize the hundreds of volunteers who have done, are part and will be part of Peace Brigades International. On behalf of everyone, thank you.”
PBI-Canada sends its best wishes, love, respect and solidarity to PBI-Colombia on the occasion of its 25th anniversary!
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