Dioselí Noriega

Source  El Tiempo

The National Police offered a reward of up to 10 million pesos for information leading to the prosecution of those responsible for the murder of Dioselí Noriega, president of the community action board of La Laguna, municipality of Convención, Norte de Santander.


The killing of this social leader took place on the night of Saturday, October 13 2018, when he was heading towards his village, on board a motorcycle and in the company of two minors.


Unofficial versions indicate that a dispute in a section of the road unleashed the wrath of his attackers, who intercepted him meters further on and riddled him with bullets in front of these children.

“There is not much official information, just a series of stories told by people. But the serious thing is that it did happen in front of these little ones, who fled at the time of the crime. The municipal administration condemns the violent action against this leader, who had a long career as a community leader and his work was highly praised by the population, “said Hermes Alfonso García, mayor of the Convention.

This town, located 129 kilometers from Cúcuta, had already suffered in September the loss of a social leader in the midst of violent events. On that occasion, Alirio Antonio Arenas, president of the Convention Council and director of the Movement for the Popular Assembly, was murdered while he was in the Belén neighborhood of the municipality of Ocaña (Norte de Santander).

With the killing of Noriega, there have now 10 been civilian representatives who have fallen in recent months, in the context of the dispute between the Eln and Los Pelusos guerrillas over the control of drug trafficking in the Catatumbo region.

Through the Criminal Investigation Section of the Sijín, the authorities are carrying out the investigation and have called an extraordinary security council to clarify the motives of this crime.


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

Region:Americas

Country:Colombia

Department/Province/State:Norte de Santander

Sex1:Male

Age:56

Date of Killing:13/10/2018

Previous Threats:No information

Type of Work:Community leader

Organisation:Junta de Accion Comunal La Laguna,

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

Sector Detail:Peasant Communities

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).