They are the ones on the front lines who can tell us whether or not a situation will worsen. The Colombian human rights defenders have been warning us--and dying while they do so--and we have all witnessed in horror as the paramilitaries In that nation have committed massacre after massacre. often in a preannounced fashion. Mexican defenders have warned us of the deterioration In basic respects and we have witnessed attack upon attack. while the defenders themselves are subjected to death threats. harassment. and even deportation. In Peru. defenders have received funeral wreaths from the same type of cowardly anonymous thugs who torment defenders elsewhere and in Honduras. not even the children are spared of attacks because of the work their parents do to protect those in need. Clearly this pattem of attacks against defenders must be reversed and we must do all we can to highlight the importance of defenders and our support for what they do.
Keywords matched
deportation