Dear Mr. Carrillo:

I am writing to express my concern for the safety of Juan David Díaz Chamorro, a courageous human rights defender who faces ongoing threats against his life for his willingness to stand up for justice.  In the past year alone, Juan David has received numerous death threats against him and his family, most recently in June.

Juan David and his family have already paid a massive price for their stand against corruption and for human rights.  Juan is the son of Eudaldo Diaz, former mayor of Sucre, who was assassinated for his public efforts to root out corruption.

Now, Juan David is facing serious threats against his life and that of his family, most recently from the paramilitary group Ejército Anti Restitución (Anti-Restitution Army). 

On 1 June 2012, at approximately 10:00 pm, a police officer charged with providing protection to Juan David found a package on the terrace of the home of the human rights defender, in Sincelejo, Sucre. The package contained ten white candles wrapped in paper and tied with a ribbon. A death threat addressed to Juan David and signed by the Ejército Anti Restitución was written on the paper. It stated: “Quedas advertido y en conocimiento pues te tenemos plenamente identificado y ubicado sabemos que eres uno de los hijueputas que con la excusa de ser defensor de derechos humanos pretenden mediante toda clase de arbirtrariedades despojar de sus terrenos a los verdaderos propietarios para que terminen en manos de un puñado de guerrilleros malparidos [...] Preocupate por la familia y tomales una foto para que te quede de recuerdos por que tu muerte y la de tu familia esta cerca [...]” (Be warned that we have you fully identified and located, and know that you are one of the sons of bitches who with the excuse of being a human rights defender seeks by all manner of arbitrariness to strip the land from its rightful owners so that it ends up in the hands of a handful of guerrilla bastards [...] Be worried for your family and take photos of them so that you have memories because you and your family’s death is close [...]”.

The fact that this threat was delivered to his door, and at a moment when his security was not present, shows that the authors have been carrying out surveillance on the human rights defender.

The next month, on 4 July, the Ejército Anti Restitución issued another threat by email:

The email from the Anti-land Restitution Army stated: “Nuestro ejercito tiene instrucciones claras para dar de baja a estos malparidos que quiere quitarle la tierra los ciudadanos de bien para darsela a guerrilleros igual que ellos.Quedan advertidos y en conocimiento pues te tenemos plenamente identificado sus esquemas y a los que no tambien hijueputas guerrilleros de mierda que con la excusa de ser defensor de derechos humanos pretenden mediante toda clase de arbitrariedades despojar de sus terrenos a los verdaderos propietarios para que terminen en manos de un puñado de guerrilleros malparidos hijos de perra” (Our army has clear instructions to get rid of these bastards who want to take the land away from the good citizens to give it to guerrillas like themselves. Be warned and take note of the fact that we have you fully identified, your schemes and also bastard guerrillas who with the excuse of being a human rights defender seeks by all manner of arbitrariness to strip the land from its rightful owners so that it ends up in the hands of a handful of guerrilla bastards).

Juan David Díaz Chamorro has previously been the subject of death threats from paramilitary groups in April 2010, June and December 2011. As a result of the threats to his security, he and his family chose to leave the country temporarily before returning in November 2011. Upon his return he faced charges that he was involved in paramilitary activities. This was as a result of declarations made by former paramilitaries in Sucre who are themselves connected to the killing of his father. Under the Justice and Peace Law 975 of 2005, former paramilitaries can get reduced prison sentences in exchange for full confessions regarding their own participation, or the participation of others, in paramilitary actions.

This latest threat against Juan David occurs in the context of continued persecution of members of the Sucre branch of MOVICE. On 8 May 2012, MOVICE members Ingrid Vergara Chavéz, Pedro Geney, Franklin Torres and Jeison Paba Reyes received death threats, and on 28 May 2012, Hermes Verbel Rochas, brother of assassinated MOVICE Sucre member Eder Verbel, managed to make an escape from an armed man who approached him at his daughter’s home.

While the protection provided to Juan David is an important step in ensuring his safety, it is clearly insufficient.  And it is also clear that the paramilitary forces issuing the threats are able to operate relatively freely in Sucre and without fear of repercussion.

As Colombia seeks to move forward from decades of violence and war, it is imperative that human rights defenders be afforded the maximum effort to ensure their safety and that of their families.  I urge you to take further steps to investigate and pursue the perpetrators of these threats and planned attacks before more human rights defenders are injured or killed.