PBI-Colombia accompanies FEDEPESAN, CREDHOS and CAHUCOPANA at meeting in Barrancabermeja with Canadian Embassy

On July 25, PBI-Colombia tweeted:

“Visit from @rolar116 [Canadian foreign service officer Robin Larocque Roy], @CanadayColombia [the Embassy of Canada in Colombia] with @CAHUCOPANA [the Humanitarian Action Corporation for Coexistence and Peace in Northeast Antioquia], @Credhos_Paz [the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights], and FEDEPESAN [the Federation of Santander Fishers for Tourism and Environment] in #Barrancabermeja in which they exposed the serious security situation #NordesteAntioqueño #MagdalenaMedio and the responsibility of companies in increasing the risks of defenders #human rights and environmentalists.”

Following that meeting, the Canadian Embassy tweeted:

“In #Barrancabermeja , we met with @PBIColombia, @CAHUCOPANA, @Credhos_Paz and Fedepesan to talk about the difficult security situation in #MagdalenaMedio. We must protect the leaders and guarantee free and safe movement in the territories.”

In the photo above, Canadian Embassy official Robin Larocque Roy is standing beside Yuli Velasquez, president of FEDEPESAN.

In this Urgent Action, Amnesty International is calling for strengthened protection for Yuli Velásquez and other defenders of FEDEPESAN.

They highlight: “On July 5, two unknown persons approached Yuli on a motorcycle and opened fire. Yuli managed to take cover but the bodyguard granted to her by the National Protection Unit, following previous threats to her life, was shot.”

On June 30, just days before that attack, Yuli guided CREDHOS, PBI-Colombia and PBI-Canada on a tour of the environmental impacts on the San Silvestre wetland.

When Yuli participated in a PBI-Canada webinar on April 29, 2021, she said: “We are working hard to stop fracking. Pollution will impact future generations. As fisherpeople we are impacted by water pollution. We can’t allow corporations and contractors to come in and affect the well-being of our communities.”

She added: “We have faced various threats and assassination attempts, but we will continue working and contributing to the protection of the environment.”

We continue to follow this with great concern.