PBI-Colombia and SweFOR at March 6th Day of Dignity for Victims of State Crime march in Bogota

On March 10, SweFOR posted on its Facebook page that it had accompanied MOVICE on March 6 at a Day of Dignity for Victims of State Crime march.

Telesur has previously reported, “Official figures have reported some 9 million victims of the armed conflict in Colombia, with 7 million displaced and 86,000 disappeared.” In 2019, “Over 100 social organizations and human rights groups marched in Colombia to pay homage for social leaders who have been murdered in the country.”

“According to a spokesperson for the National Movement for Victims of State Crime (MOVICE), the event aims to bring awareness to the increase of politically-charged murders, after the signing of the 2016 Peace Accords.”

The Swedish Movement for Reconciliation – SweFOR – is a Swedish ecumenical organization, created in 1919 that seeks to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence.

It has extensive experience in the protection of human rights defenders through the method of international accompaniment in countries such as Guatemala, Mexico and Colombia; as well as work for disarmament and more rigorous control of the arms trade.

SweFOR has sent volunteers to Colombia since 2004 in order to provide accompaniment and protection to ethnic territorial and human rights organizations that carry out activities in different regions of the country.

As noted on SweFOR’s Instagram page, it presented its Martin Luther King Prize this year to Extinction Rebellion Sweden.

SweFOR notes, “The world needs more peaceful movements that give the opportunity to channel engagement over the climate crisis and the world’s injustices. Our prize-winner is a good example of the community’s strength over individualism.”

“Extinction Rebellion Sweden is a network that has only been in existence for one year but has already engaged both young and old to the climate through a variety of non-violent methods. Through creative civil disobedience and well-planned actions, they show that we must stop extinguishing fires and change our climate-dangerous systems instead. Extinction Rebellion is a global climate movement in the spirit of Martin Luther King.”

SweFOR is also on Twitter at @SweFORColombia and @SweFORMexico.