Paula Andrea Rosero Ordóñez

Source El País

The Office in Colombia of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the murder of Paula Andrea Rosero Ordóñez that took place on Monday night in Samaniego, Nariño, where she was a lawyer in the offices of the Ministerio Público, which is the main agency defending citizens’ rights.

The crime was perpetrated by gunmen who shot her when she returned home in the company of her husband after attending a birthday celebration.

“Sadly, we condemn the homicide of Samaniego, Nariño, Paula Andrea Rosero, and we trust that there will be a prompt investigation, prosecution and punishment of the perpetrators,” the Office of the High Commissioner said in his Twitter account.

The organization also expressed its solidarity with the family and friends of the victim “in these sad moments.”

The Attorney General’s Office and the Ombudsman’s Office rejected the murder of the official in a joint statement and asked the government to “take urgent measures to guarantee the life, personal integrity and work of the country’s representatives.”

They also pleaded for the protection of social leaders and human rights defenders, “who are exposed to acts of violence for their work in favor of the defense of the rights of all.”

At the same time, they expressed their solidarity with Rosero’s family and affirmed that they will monitor “the progress of the investigations in this case.”

President Duque also condemned the “cowardly” murder and ordered the authorities to “prosecute and bring to justice those responsible,” who have so far not been identified.

“We condemn the cowardly murder of Paula Andrea Rosero, a person from Samaniego, Nariño, all our solidarity with family and friends,” said Duque on the same social network.

The NGO Program Somos Defensores released a report in which it states that 25 Colombian human rights defenders were killed in the first quarter of this year.

According to the Information System on Aggressions against Human Rights Defenders in Colombia (Siaddhh), on which “We are Defenders” was based, the department in which the highest number of murders was committed was Antioquia, with five cases .

This was followed by Cauca and Norte de Santander, both with four, Valle (3), Nariño and Caquetá (2), and Arauca, Bolívar, Casanare, Magdalena and Santander, with one each.

Last April the NGO released its annual report in which it detailed that 2018 was one of the bloodiest years for human rights defenders in Colombia for the murder of 155 of them, representing 46.2% more than the 106 Homicides of 2017.


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Region:Americas

Country:Colombia

Department/Province/State:Narino

Sex1:Female

Date of Killing:20/05/2019

Type of Work:Lawyer

Sector or Type of Rights the HRD Worked On:Civil and Political Rights

Sector Detail:Abuse of power/corruption, Citizens' rights, Impunity/Justice

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).