December 24th, 2008
The International Association of Democratic Lawyers and the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights express their indignation at the killing of Edwin Legarda Vazquez by the Colombian Armed Forces, on the 16th of December, 2008. He was the husband of the indigenous leader Ms Aída Quilcué, Chief Counsel of the Consejo Regional Indígena de Colombia – CRIC (The Indigenous Regional Council of Cauca). See http://frontlinedefenders.org/node/1741.
This crime constitutes without doubt a savage reprisal against the activities of the indigenous movement. Aida Quilcué is one of the most important leaders of this movement and she sat recently at the negotiation table with several members of the Uribe Government.
We demand the immediate punishment of all those responsible and the immediate cessation of State violence against the popular movements in Colombia. We intend to refer this and other crimes of the agents of the Colombian State to the International Criminal Court in order to put a definitive end to impunity in Colombia. Colombia deposited its instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute on 5 August 2002.