The Campesino Association of Catatumbo (Ascamcat) denounced on Thursday the murder of peasant leader José Antonio Navas, in the Miramonte village of the Colombian municipality of Tibú, by armed men who shot him repeatedly.

According to Ascamcat, Navas was a director of the Community Action Board of the Vereda El Líbano and a member of the Peasant Guard. In addition, he was registered in the National Comprehensive Program for the Replacement of Illicit Crops (PNIS) and supported the creation of the Peasant Reserve areas.

In the region, 15 social leaders have been killed so far this year. That figure is among the 226 leaders and human rights defenders who have died violently between January 1 and November 17 of this year, according to the report « Todos los Nombres – Todas las Caras”, published recently by the Institute of Studies for Development and Peace (Indepaz).