Gilberto Valencia was a human rights defender, social leader, peace-builder and cultural manager of the Suárez municipality in Cauca, who worked to disseminate the terms of the Colombian Peace Agreement through music. He was also the leader of the “Los Herderos” group, and won an award in 2015 for his social enterpreneurship. He was shot dead during a New Year’s Eve celebration with his family and friends in the municipality of Suárez, Cauca. A lone gunman, believed to have been known to Gilberto Valencia in the context of his social work, is understood to have carried out the attack with an altered firearm.
Gilberto Valencia
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Region:Americas
Country:Colombia
Department/Province/State:Cauca
Sex1:Male
Date of Killing:01/01/2019
Previous Threats:No information
Type of Work:Social leader
Organisation:Los Heredoros
Sector or Type of Rights the HRD Worked On:ESC Rights
Sector Detail:Documenting rights in conflict, 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).
URLs (links) of Interest
- El Tiempo
- https://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/cali/gilberto-valencia-primer-lider-social-asesinado-este-ano-en-colombia-310946
- El Espectador
- https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/judicial/gilberto-valencia-primer-lider-social-asesinado-este-2019-articulo-831963
- Front Line Defenders
- https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/es/case/six-human-rights-defenders-killed-during-first-week-2019