PBI-Colombia accompanies CAHUCOPANA at meeting with German, French and Swedish Embassies in Bogota

CAHUCOPANA president Carlos Morales (third from left in photo).

On August 12, the German Embassy in Colombia tweeted:

“Worrying panorama that alerts @CAHUCOPANA and @PBIColombia about attacks and threats against the civilian population in Northeast Antioquia. From France, Sweden and Germany we reject what happened and reaffirm support for initiatives for peace and protection of #human rights throughout the country. #DefendLife.”

That same day, the French Embassy tweeted the same message. The Swedish Embassy also tweeted the same text.

The day before, August 11, PBI-Colombia also accompanied CAHUCOPANA at a meeting with the Canadian Embassy.

Meetings in Germany

The meeting with the German Embassy followed Morales’ visit to Germany earlier this year.

On May 16, PBI-Germany tweeted:

“Together with Gloria Orcué [from the Inter-Church Commission on Justice and Peace] & Carlos Morales [from CAHUCOPANA], we spoke to representatives of @AuswaertigesAmt [Federal Foreign Office] & @unidasporlapaz [civil society collective for peacekeeping and peace building] today about the elections in Colombia, the situation of human rights defenders & the need for differentiated protective measures in Colombia.”

CAHUCOPANA president Carlos Morales

Front Line Defenders has noted: “Carlos Arturo Morales Mallorga is a human rights defender, peasant farmer leader and current president of CAHUCOPANA.”

They add: “In 2015 he was victim of a judicial set-up and imprisoned for 7 months in Palo Gordo prison in Santander department, until a judge annulled his trial and ordered his release in the absence of evidence. Morales and other members of Cahucopana have been beneficiaries of precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) since 2018.”

On February 28, 2022, PBI-Colombia tweeted: “#ALERT Carlos Morales, human rights defender with @Cahucopana accompanied by PBI, was shot along with his wife last night in Barrancabermeja. In the midst of a very serious context of violence #NoHayGarantías [no guarantees] and it is #URGENT that the authorities take measures.”

PBI-Colombia has accompanied the Humanitarian Action Corporation for Coexistence and Peace in Northeast Antioquia (CAHUCOPANA) since 2013.