URGENT ACTION

WOMAN ATTACKED FOR SEEKING JUSTICE FOR SON

On 11 January, two unidentified men in a motorbike shot three times at the car in which Alfamir Castillo was, in a rural area of the municipality of Pradera, Valle del Cauca Department, southern Colombia. Alfamir Castillo was with her husband and two bodyguards granted by the National Protection Unit and were not injured. Alfamir Castillo has faced several threats and attacks for years as she is seeking justice for the unlawful killing of her son by members of the Colombian armed forces.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Mr. Nestor Humberto Martínez
Attorney General
Diagonal 22B No. 52-01
Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
Email: contacto@fiscalia.gov.co
denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co
despacho.fiscal@fiscalia.gov.co
 
Dear Attorney General,

On 11 January, two unidentified men in a motorbike shot three times at the car in which Alfamir Castillo was, in a rural area of the municipality of Pradera, Valle del Cauca Department, southern Colombia. Alfamir Castillo was with her husband and the two bodyguards granted by the National Protection Unit (Unidad Nacional de Protección) and were not injured. Alfamir Castillo has faced several threats and attacks for years as she is seeking justice for the unlawful killing of her son Darbey Mosquera Castillo, by members of the Colombian armed forces in 2008. This extrajudicial execution was part of the Colombian “false positives” scandal, in which members of the armed forces unlawfully killed civilians to get rewards. Seven members of the Colombian army have been sentenced to more than 40 years in prison for these extrajudicial executions.

On 10 and 11 January, Alfamir Castillo received two death threats, claiming that her protection measures would be useless to protect her life, that she “will pay in blood her insolence against [their] commander” and “will pay for all that has happened to [them]”. On 15 October 2018, Alfamir Castillo received another death threat on her phone, in relation to her attendance to the hearing of former Army Commander Mario Montoya at the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz), who could be linked to the death of her son: “we are warning you that we don’t want to see you at the hearings because this time our threats will become true…your death is close”.

We urge you to conduct a prompt, independent, effective and impartial investigation into the threats and attacks against Alfamir Castillo, and to bring all those responsible to justice, including those who ordered such attacks; as well as to guarantee comprehensive protection to Alfamir Castillo in consultation with her.

Yours sincerely,

Additional information

Alfamir Castillo’s son, Darbey Mosquera Castillo, was killed on 8 February 2008 by members of the Counter Guerrilla Battalion 57 Martires de Puerres of the VIII Brigade of the Colombian army. This extrajudicial execution was part of the Colombian “false positives” scandal, in which members of the armed forces unlawfully killed civilians to present them as “guerrilla killed in combat” in order to get rewards. Seven members of the Colombian army have been sentenced to more than 40 years in prison for the extrajudicial executions. Alfamir Castillo and other relatives, as well as witnesses to the extrajudicial executions and the lawyers, have faced repeated threats, intimidation and harassment.

During the long-running armed conflict in Colombia, extrajudicial executions have been carried out by the security forces in a widespread and systematic manner. They have been part of the terror tactics used by the security forces as part of their counter-insurgency strategy. The Attorney General's Office is investigating more than 2,000 cases of extrajudicial executions reportedly committed by the security forces.

In October 2012, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights granted precautionary measures to Alfamir Castillo. Currently, and after the threat she received in October 2018, the National Protection Unit is providing Alfamir Castillo protection measures that include bodyguards and a car.

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. HIS EXCELLENCY MR NESTOR OSORIO, Embassy of Colombia, 3 Hans Crescent SW1X 0LN, 020 7589 9177 / 020 7589 5037, Fax 020 7581 1829, clondres@cancilleria.gov.co, www.colombianembassy.co.uk Salutation: Your Excellency
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Spanish
You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 26 February 2019. 
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PREFFERED PRONOUN: Alfamir Castillo (female)

LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/AMR23/040/2012/en/, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr23/023/2013/en/