Congressmen McGovern and Pocan are circulating a letter in the House of Representatives and we need you to join the call for more signatures!
Colombia is considered the most dangerous place in the world for social activists who are dedicated to protecting the territory and fighting for environmental interests. And the situation has gotten worse with COVID-19. But, you can help by urging your Congressional Representative to sign this letter calling for change!
According to the Colombian NGO, Instituto de Estudios para el Desarrollo y la Paz – INDEPAZ, in the first three months of 2020, 71 social leaders and defenders were killed in Colombia. Since the start of Colombia's lockdown in late March, more than 28 activists and human rights defenders have been murdered. Additionally, it was recently revealed that the Colombian army, was spying on at least 130 reporters, human rights defenders, politicians, judges, union leaders and possible military whistleblowers using United States resources.
This letter calls on the United States Secretary of State Pompeo to recommit to implementing the historic 2016 peace accords and protect Colombia's endangered human rights defenders whose vulnerability has only increased during the COVID-19 quarantine.
Take action now to help protect Colombian activists!
Below is a list of 43 Representatives who have already signed:
- James P. McGovern (MA)
- Mark Pocan (WI)
- Nydia M. Velázquez (NY)
- Barbara Lee (CA)
- Jamie Raskin (MD)
- Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC)
- Juan Vargas (CA)
- Jackie Speier (CA)
- Jim Costa (CA)
- Bobby L. Rush (IL)
- Adriano Espaillat (NY)
- Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ)
- Ayanna Pressley (MA)
- Maxine Waters (CA)
- David N. Cicilline (RI)
- Alexandrea Ocasio-Cortez (NY)
- Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (GA)
- Stephen F. Lynch (MA)
- Anna G. Eshoo (CA)
- Ro Khanna (CA)
- John Lewis (GA)
- Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ)
- Jan Schakowsky (IL)
- Peter Welch (VT)
- José E. Serrano (NY)
- Jared Huffman (CA)
- Pramila Jayapal (WA)
- Earl Blumenauer (OR)
- Betty McCollum (MN)
- Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (VA)
- Mark DeSaulnier (CA)
- Andy Levin (MI)
- Alcee L. Hastings (FL)
- Alan Lowenthal (CA)
- Peter A. DeFazio (OR)
- Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO)
- Danny K. Davis (IL)
- André Carson (IN)
- Sylvia R. Garcia (TX)
- David E. Price (NC)
- Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA)
- Daniel T. Kildee (MI)
- Richard E. Neal (MA)
