Threatened defender Yuli Velasquez: “In addition to being environmentalists we have to be detectives now.”

To hear Yuli in her own words, join her on this webinar on April 29.

On April 9, W Radio reported: “Yuli Velasquez says that despite being the victim of several death threats and having suffered an attack on her life in mid-January this year, the Attorney General’s Office decided to shelve a complaint [about a contractor] who verbally threatened her after she made some environmental complaints.”

The article notes Velasquez is a legal representative of the Federation of Artisanal Fishers and Environmentalists of Santander (FEDEPESAN) and a member of the Alliance for a Colombia Free of Fracking.

Velasquez says: “In addition to being environmentalists we have to be detectives now.”

The attack she mentions happened on January 20. Two men on a motorcycle approached and fired several shots hitting her home.

Alfredo Molano Jimeno wrote in El Espectador: “Yuli Velasquez, defender of the San Silvestre swamp, was attacked, where contractors have a millionaire squat disguised as an environmental protection and water care program.”

The day after the attack, PBI-Colombia accompanied CREDHOS when they visited her home.

During that visit, CREDHOS tweeted: “CREDHOS accompanies environmental organizations and the leader Yuli Velasquez of FEDEPESAN in the face of events that threatened her life and integrity in Barrancabermeja.”

Yuli will be taking part in a PBI-Canada organized webinar this coming Thursday April 29. To hear her talk about her experiences and work, register at Environmental defenders challenging fracking & extractivism in Colombia.

The W Radio article concludes: “According to the Alliance for a Colombia Free of Fracking, there are currently five other environmental leaders in the Barrancabermeja region who are threatened with death.”

The full article in Spanish can be read at Environmental leader calls for prosecutor’s office to investigate threats and attack against her.

To hear Yuli in her own words, join her on this webinar on April 29.

PBI-Colombia accompanies CREDHOS president Ivan Madero as they approach Yuli’s house the day after shots were fired at her there.