“PBI´s accompaniment has been fundamental to the work of human rights defenders in Colombia, particularly to myself, David Ravelo Crespo, as a human rights defender in Barrancabermeja and in the Magdalena Medio region, the accompaniment has allowed our work to be protected in the whole region and has enabled us to attend many different spaces and has guaranteed our lives.

During my time in prison, PBI provided a permanent accompaniment which gained my respect from the prison authorities as every week of two weeks my friends from PBI visited which also helped guarantee my life whilst in prison. This solidarity helped me keep fighting for my freedom and for the truth in my case.

Then after I was freed PBI has continued to accompany me with the new threats I have received and have shed light on the issue.

But also throughout my time in prison, this accompaniment was very valuable because it shed light on the judicial issue, this criminal process that they put me through on a national and international level so that people in Europe, the United States and all over the world could hear about the persecution human rights defenders face, specifically the case of David Ravelo.

My family and my friends, Colombian human rights organizations value PBI and hope it´s accompaniment can remain so that the crisis we are currently living through with the threats we face and the extermination that we are subjected to as defenders can be known. It is very important that PBI continues in Colombia.”

- David Ravelo Crespo, human rights defender