Statement condemning the attack on the life of teacher Sara Fernández
The teachers, researchers and activists of CLACSO Working Group Political Ecology(ies) from the South/Abya-YalaWe express our strongest condemnation of the attack against the life of Professor Sara Fernández carried out in the early hours of Wednesday, March 04, 2020 at her residence.
Sara is a renowned academic, committed to and an activist for human rights and the defense of public universities. For over a decade, she has been actively involved in the Association of Professors at the University of Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia, as well as in national and international networks such as the Latin American Network on Gender and Collective Health and the Network Against Sexual Harassment in Universities. Those of us who know her are aware of her extraordinary human qualities and her tireless advocacy for social justice, democracy, peace, and women's rights.
These events are occurring at a time when the current Colombian government is failing to uphold its commitments under the peace process, censoring the United Nations Human Rights Office, and prioritizing an extreme extractive development model that guarantees incentives for large corporations at the expense of the rights of the most vulnerable sectors and territories. In this context, the assassinations of social leaders, human rights and environmental defenders, and demobilized FARC members have increased. The state's response to this situation and to the widespread social protests of late 2019 and early 2020 has been characterized by trivialization, repression, and stigmatization. Finally, in recent weeks, there have been attempts to blame public universities for clashes between masked individuals and the ESMAD riot police, which has led to the appearance of intimidating messages against leaders of the student and university movement.
An attack against someone like Sara Fernández, for all that she represents, is also an act of aggression against public universities, women, human rights defenders, social leaders, those who work daily for peace, and in general, all those who represent the pursuit of a more just, democratic, and inclusive society. We call upon all social, university, and civil organizations to strengthen their bonds of solidarity in defense of life in all its forms.
We express our solidarity with Professor Sara and strongly demand that national, regional, and local authorities, first, cease all acts of stigmatization against student and social leaders, as well as against public universities. Second, that protection measures be implemented for those who have been threatened. And third, that the investigations to identify those responsible for this attack be conducted thoroughly and responsibly.
March 2020
CLACSO Working Group
Political ecology(ies) from the South Abya/Yala
