Last year, Colombia reported the deaths of at least 145 community leaders and human rights defenders as armed gang-fighting fueled further violence.
The victims included indigenous leaders, trade unionists, and representatives from rural communities, according to Carlos Camargo, the human rights ombudsman.
He said the majority of the killings were linked to illegal armed groups, but he did not name the alleged perpetrators.
According to monitors, the country is one of the most dangerous in the world for activists.
Colombia is now officially at peace, thanks to a 2016 agreement with the country’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
However, other armed gangs continue to operate in the country, which is the world’s largest producer of cocaine.
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Disputes over territory and resources have escalated in recent months, involving dissident Farc rebels and members of another Marxist guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (lLN), as well as right-wing paramilitary groups and criminal gangs such as the Gulf Clan.
According to the ombudsman’s office, a government agency that oversees the protection of citizens’ human and civil rights, the majority of the killings occurred in areas where drug traffickers operate.
Last year, anti-government protests in Colombia were violently repressed by Colombian security forces, who were accused of using excessive force by human rights groups and protesters.
According to the ombudsman, more than 50 people died.
Last year, there were fewer activists killed than in 2020, when the ombudsman’s office recorded 182 killings.
