Democratic Pole Councillor and Victims Leader Assassinated in Sucre
News from Colombia |
on: Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Antonio Mendoza Morales
On the 30th of June Antonio Mendoza Morales, a leader of the San Onofre Displaced Persons Association and Democratic Pole councillor was shot and killed by unidentified men. Mr Mendoza led displaced people seeking to return to lands taken from them by armed groups in the San Onofre municipality.
Reports state that he was shot 6 times. His killing means that the Sucre chapter of the National Victims' Movement (Movice) has had two activists killed so far this year. Eder Verbel Rocha was killed on March 23rd 2011. It also follows a series of threats made against Movice members in the region in recent weeks.
Ivan Cepeda, the Democratic Pole congressman, has asked that investigations begin into the current Mayor of San Onofre's links to paramilitaries as well as his lack of action over well-publicised threats to Movice members in the municipality. Edgar Benito-Revollo, the current Mayor is brother of Muriel Benito-Revollo, a former Congresswoman sentenced for paramilitary links as part of the parapolitics scandal.
