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 Ivan Cepeda 
 Andrew Hudson re President Uribe on Noticias Uno (11/15/07) (Español)
 Audio File: Radio Pacifica interview with HRF re President Bush's trip to Colombia (03/13/07)
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Date Issued: April 16, 2008
Colombian human rights activist Ingrid Vergara has been subjected to intimidation through a particularly vulnerable target: her young daughter. On April 2, 2008, unknown persons outside her school reportedly told the 12-year-old girl, "We're going to kill you for the work your mother is doing." Vergara works with victims of state crimes and recently helped organize a nationwide demonstration against paramilitary violence. This attack is particularly alarming because it focused on Vergara's young child, an example of the kind of threats that women human rights defenders frequently face. This is not the first time that Vergara or her daughter have been threatened, in a clear attempt to deter her from performing vital human rights advocacy. Please demand that the Colombian authorities provide adequate protection for Ingrid Vergara and her daughter and that it investigate the threats made against her. Background Ingrid Vergara is a leader of the National Movement for Victims of State Crimes (MOVICE) in the city of Sincelejo, Sucre department. On April 2, 2008, her 12-year-old daughter was approached by four unknown persons outside her school who threatened her before fleeing in a white truck. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights awarded Vergara protective measures in 2007 after she and her family repeatedly received threats, including from people reportedly driving the same white truck. Vergara's daughter had previously been threatened in the vicinity of her school. These protective measures awarded by the Commission require the government to adopt adequate mechanisms to protect the life of Vergara. Vergara and her daughter immediately reported the threats to the Rapid Response Unit of the Attorney General's office in Sincelejo. Violence and threats against human rights defenders spiked after a March 6 demonstration organized to protest paramilitary and government-sanctioned violence. 2007 Baldwin Award winner Ivan Cepeda, the national leader of MOVICE, is one of several defenders to come under attack. Vergara was an organizer of the demonstrations in Sucre. This attack is particularly alarming because it focused on the young child of Ms. Vergara. It is an example of the gender-specific threats that women human rights defenders face. For more information about women human rights defenders, click here. Sample Letter: Dear Attorney General Iguaran: I am writing to express my grave concern about efforts to intimidate Ingrid Vergara through a death threat against her 12-year-old daughter. Ingrid Vergara is a leader of the National Movement for Victims of State Crimes (MOVICE) in Sincelejo, Sucre. On April 2, 2008, unknown persons approached Vergara's daughter outside her school and reportedly told her, "We're going to kill you for the work your mother is doing." I understand that the assailants subsequently drove off in a white truck. Ingrid Vergara was a key organizer of the March 6 peaceful demonstrations against paramilitary and state violence. The attack is particularly alarming because it focused on Vergara's young child. Threats to family members are one example of the gender-specific threats that women human rights defenders frequently face. I am especially concerned because this is not the first time that Ms. Vergara and her family have received threats. In 2007 they were repeatedly threatened, in some cases by people reportedly driving the same white truck involved in the recent threat to Ms. Vergara's daughter. Moreover, Ms. Vergara's daughter has also previously been threatened in the vicinity of her school. Because of these threats, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights awarded Ms. Vergara protective measures in 2007. The threats are a clear attempt to deter Ms. Vergara from performing her vital human rights advocacy. I therefore call on you to immediately, thoroughly, and impartially investigate this latest incident involving Ms. Vergara's daughter. I also call on the Interior and Justice Minister to provide Ingrid Vergara and her family with adequate protective measures, taking into account the specific gender specific risks that Ms. Vergara faces. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
cc. Dr. Carlos Franco Dr. Rafael Bustamante
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Protest Threats against Colombian Defender and her Family
