On 14 May 14, Francisco Puerta, a leader of the Colombian “peace community” of San Jose de Apartado, was assassinated by paramilitaries in the town of Apartado.
Puerta was humanitarian coordinator for the hamlet of Miramar, one of the outlying communities in the hills around of San Jose de Apartado, the village which has refused to collaborate with any armed actors in Colombia's civil war.
Most peace community supporters have been driven out of San Jose over the past two years, and have set up a small settlement outside the village.
CO Day Colombia
On another track, 15 May was International Conscientious Objectors' Day, and this year the focus was on Colombia (see the WRI supplement to May's PN). On 15 May, War Resisters International brought activists from all over Latin America and from Spain to meet in Medellin. Colombian men face forced conscription by the military, by paramilitary forces and by guerillas.
WRI staffer Andreas Speck writes from Medellin: “A much more difficult problem is the so-called libreta militar, which is issued to those who served in the military.”
Without this “military card”, it's impossible to graduate from university, get a proper job or a driving licence--or a passport.