Dagoberto Acosta Lopez

On the afternoon of 6 February, 2018,  as Dagoberto was leaving the village after having bought a consignment and was travelling by bicycle back to the La Sal shelter, he was intercepted and attacked by unknown individuals who tortured and beat him, and possibly shot him, in a violent attack that led to his death the following day.

His family found him on the road leading the shelter; lying on his side very badly hurt and took him from there to his community. It is even more deplorable that after having informed the Health Inspector; and some local authorities of the municipality of Puerto Concordia, the ambulance that would normally not take more than one hour to reach the shelter did not arrive until the following day to provide the emergency care needed; this despicable and discriminatory behaviour led directly to the death of our Aguacil Dagoberto Acosta Lopez who finally passed away.

We condemn the attitude of contempt that was displayed by the ambulance health personnel; for they arrived when it was already too late and our Aguacil Dagoberto had already died; In addition to this they picked up his body and did not transfer it to the Health Center; Cemetery or Police Inspection of Puerto Concordia; where they should have carried out the normal legal exam or autopsy. Instead they left the body in the community.

His family and loved ones seeing this behaviour devoid of humanity took the decision to bury him in the La Sal indigenous shelter. This incident is clearly a cause for PROTEST; COMPLAINT; REJECTION and CENSURE by the Jiw indigenous authorities and community of La Sal reservation, who we assert on the basis of our special indigenous jurisdiction, customs and institutions, our right to express ourselves publicly and peacefully.


If you would like to provide a personal recollection, please email us at: HRDMemorial@frontlinedefenders.org

Region:Americas

Country:Colombia

Department/Province/State:Meta

Sex1:Male

Date of Killing:06/02/2018

Previous Threats:No information

Type of Work:Community leader

Organisation:Aguacil de la Comunidad Centro La Sal

Sector or Type of Rights the HRD Worked On:Civil and Political Rights, ESC Rights

Sector Detail:Indigenous Peoples' Rights

More information:Front Line Defenders

1This database records an individual's chosen gender identity. If they do not self-identify as male or female they can use the option of recording other/neither or use the term NBGI (non binary gender identity).