2015: Violence and protection of environment in Casanare

2015 was a very hard year for the Social Corporation for Community Advisory and Training Services (COSPACC), as one of its leaders, environmental defender Ramon Abril Fuentes, was murdered. Since then, the community-based human rights organization has sought justice and looks to sustain his memory and legacy through the creation of the Daniel Abril School. The school looks to raise awareness and train Casanare and Boyacá’s peasant communities on environmental issues.

Since 2009, PBI accompanies COSPACC in its efforts to advise and accompany the communities of Casanare and Boyacá in their fight for basic rights, such as access to potable water through the protection of ecosystems. Another important focus of COSPACC’s work is demanding social responsibility from mining-energy extractive companies– as a condition for companies to enter the territories–-with the aim of ensuring respect for the environment and communities potentially impacted by the projects. In addition, they accompany forcibly displaced communities as they demands rights and guarantees. COSPACC also contributes to the documentation of extrajudicial killings and legal false positives.