Yuli Andrea Velásquez has posted on social media: “We will continue to demand that the solar farm project be presented to the rural communities in the Las Galias sector—as formally requested in the petition filed two months ago.”
Velasquez shares via social media a video report from El PortAvoz Press that warns: “Imminent eviction from the property known as Las Galias. The current occupants have held possession since 1983. Beyond cultivating the land and restoring its environment, they have taken in dozens of abandoned animals that would have nowhere to go if the local government evicts them.”
In that El PortAvoz Press video clip, lot holder Hernan Barrera says:
“Supposedly, I did some environmental damage and I made a land movement and I supposedly disturbed a property that belongs to the mayor’s office, but this property has been there since 1983. I bought this position from a man who at the time, in 2012, they recognized the position to the man when the road passed through this property and he simply sold me the right to the possession. Here, fruit trees have been planted close to about 40,000 limonzungria trees, we have planted bamboo, we have planted avocado, mango, among fruit trees there are about 4,000 trees.”
Yuli Andrea Velásquez is an environmental engineer and president of the Federation of Environmental and Tourism Artisanal Fishermen of the Department of Santander (Fedepesan). The Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (Credhos) accompanies Velásquez and Fedepesan.
Peace Brigades International has accompanied Credhos since 1994.
We continue to follow this.
