Condemnation of violence against university students in Colombia
In response to the situation of violence against student and faculty organizations at public universities in Colombia
The CLACSO Steering Committee and the Network of CLACSO Member Centers in Colombia condemn the assassination, attacks, and threats to the lives of social leaders and ex-combatants who signed the Final Peace Agreement, committed to defending their communities and territories and building democratic societies with guarantees for a dignified life in peace.
We express our solidarity with the faculty and student organizations of public universities, which have been victims of threats, persecution, and attacks for their actions in defense of the right to education, university autonomy, and the exercise of the right to protest with democratic guarantees. In particular, we condemn the violence recently perpetrated against the educational community of the University of Antioquia, as expressed, among other things, in the reprehensible statement circulating since March 2nd.
In addition to the threats, on March 4, 2020, an attack was carried out against the life of Sara Fernández, a professor at the University of Antioquia and a feminist committed to defending public universities, women's rights, and gender equality. Sara is the secretary of the professors' association ASOPRUDEA, a member of the Broad Roundtable of Professors in Defense of Public Universities, and President of the University Network for Gender Equality. She is also an active participant in CLACSO programs and activities.
We condemn this attack and stand in solidarity with the family, friends, and groups that support our colleague in the fight for her life.
Public universities are a vital space for building democratic and inclusive societies. The educational practices that take place within them enrich social dynamics; they contribute to strengthening the economic, political, and cultural processes that promote the improvement of living conditions for the population; and they contribute to the democratic development of our youth. At CLACSO, we value and recognize the immense efforts made in this direction by faculty and student organizations.
We urge the national government and other Colombian state institutions to take action to stop the crimes being perpetrated against the educational community, identifying and punishing those responsible, effectively protecting the lives of those threatened and at risk, and guaranteeing the full respect for human rights on university campuses. Likewise, we urge local and departmental governments to respect university autonomy and withdraw the protocols that authorize the entry of law enforcement onto campuses.
As an academic community, we express our concern about the reluctance of the National Government to recognize the existence of a systematic pattern of murder and human rights violations against social leaders in Colombia, which are expressed, among other things, in the recent disregard for the report of the UN Human Rights Rapporteur.
We call upon the international community and the network of CLACSO Centers in Latin America and the Caribbean to stand with the persecuted individuals and groups and to reject the serious situation that the entire country is experiencing.
Steering Committee and Member Centers of CLACSO (Colombia)
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