Erley Monroy
Erley Monroy was a land and environmental rights defender and the Director of the Asociación Campesina Losada-Guayabero- ASCAL-G (Farmers' Association Losada-Guayabero), a land and environmental rights organisation animated by local farmers in the municipality of San Vicente del Caguán, department of Caquetá.
HRDs in Colombia work in a violent and unsafe environment. They are subjected to threats, intimidation, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, physical assaults, torture, killings, illegal searches of their homes and offices and stigmatisation as a result of their activities in defence of human rights. The perpetrators of these abuses are frequently paramilitary groups, many of whom have links to the government or security services, or armed opposition groups. The continued frequent and severe threats and attacks against HRDs around the country contradict government claims of paramilitary demobilisation.
