Miguel Ángel Castellanos Marín

Sixteen year old Miguel Ángel Castellanos Marín was a ninth grade student and member of the Casa Morada Cultural Collective in Medellin, Antioquia.

Miguel Ángel was a member of a group working to promote cultural activities for young people and was also involved in the local community radio station.

On 8 February 2020, he disappeared in the Belén neighbourhood and two weeks later his body was found in the Medellín river with signs of torture.

It is believed that the motive for the killing was that somehow he had crossed an invisible line in the territorial dispute between armed criminal groups who are fighting for dominance in the city.


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

Region:Americas

Country:Colombia

Department/Province/State:Antioquia

Sex1:Male

Age:16

Date of Killing:17/02/2020

Previous Threats:No

Type of Work:Student

Organisation:Colectivo Cultural Casa Morada.

Sector or Type of Rights the HRD Worked On:ESC Rights

Sector Detail:Citizens' rights, Peace Building

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).