Human rights defender Paula Andrea Rosero Ordóñez was murdered Monday night by a group of strangers in the department of Nariño, in southwestern Colombia, official sources said.
Rosero Ordóñez, 47 years old, was the representative of the Public Ministry of the town of Samaniego, in Nariño, and had previously warned she was receiving threats against her life.
According to a police report, the lawyer was approached by two hit men, who shot her at close range.
Although she was given first aid almost immediately, it was impossible to save his life, the reports said. The Attorney General of the Nation and the Ombudsman of Colombia, in a joint statement, lamented the crime.
"@PGN_COL and @DefensoriaCol condemn the crime against the person from Samaniego, Nariño. Statement attached"
Both institutions demanded that the government of Colombian President Ivan Duque "take urgent measures" to guarantee the lives of human rights defenders, as well as all social leaders.
According to a recent count made last week, after the signing of the peace agreements in Colombia, in November 2016, there 139 former guerrilla fighters were killed. Also 31 relatives of ex-rebels have been killed, while 596 social leaders and 119 Indigenous people were murdered.
According to the non-governmental organization Programa Somos Defensores, from January to March, 25 human rights defenders in Colombia were killed.
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