Cecilia Coicué, a 62-year-old farmer and community leader, was stabbed to death on Tuesday, September 6, 2016 in La Cominera, Cauca, Corinto municipality. She left her house in the morning to check why the water pressure was not as high as usual and she never came back.
Cecilia was widely recognized for her work defending human rights, especially those of peasant organisations. For several years, she had fought for land and peasant rights in this troubled region of Cauca where former FARC rebels are still active.
She was an active member of several organisations: Movimiento Marcha Patriótica, Asociación de Trabajadores Campesinos de Zona de Reserva Campesina del Municipio de Corinto (Astrazonac), Federacion Nacional Sindical Unitaria Agropecuaria (Fensuagro), Asociación Nacional de Zonas de Reserva Campesina (ANZORC) and Proceso de Unidad Popular del Suroccidente Colombiano (PUPSOC).