Search for justice gains ground as two found guilty of killing Colombian indigenous leader

On November 7, partial justice was achieved in the case of the assassination April 7, 2015 of Fernando Salazar Calvo, Indigenous leader of the Resguardo Indígena Cañamomo Lomaprieta, Caldas, Colombia: a judge sentenced two men to terms of between 20 and 40 years of jail for carrying out the assassination and carrying weapons illegally, with the final verdict to be known the 18 January, 2019.

Yet the actor who ordered the killing remains at large, and the investigation continues. Capturing this person will be key to send a message to those who continue to threaten the lives of leaders heading the Resguardo’s efforts to assert their Indigenous laws and control over their gold resources embedded in their ancestral Land.

FPP has consistently raised awareness of this case so critical to the Embera Chamí people of the Resguardo Cañamomo Lomaprieta. We remain hopeful that with ongoing interventions and pressure from the UN, foreign embassies in Colombia, and the international community, the author of this abhorrent crime will be captured and brought to justice. This will not only bring relief to Fernando’s family, but it will also bring much needed hope and renewed motivation for all the communities in the territory and their current and future leaders asserting collective rights and authority over the Resguardo Cañamomo Lomaprieta’s lands and resources.

Full story (Spanish): http://www.lapatria.com/sucesos/dos-condenas-por-muerte-de-lider-minero-426415