Some 5000 people marched through the west Colombian town of Manizales on Monday to celebrate the country’s National Human Rights Day.
Those marching included professors, ombudsmen and citizens, and involved music and colour to call attention to the importance of human rights and the many abuses of such rights that occur in Colombia.
In Bogota, Vice-President Angelino Garzon honored the day by recognizing various human rights leaders, describing them as “the true revolutionaries in Colombia,” because instead of making war, they “make peace.”
Among those honored was Islena Rey Rodriguez, founder of the Civic Committee for Human Rights in Meta, who has fought since the 1990’s for the rights of the of the residents and political prisoners in Colombia’s East Plains, an area bordering Brazil and Venezuela long wracked by drug wars.
MORE: ‘Los Rudos’ emerge as ‘major players’ in east Colombia drug war
Manizales, Caldas
Sources
- 5.000 personas marchan en Manizales en el día de los Derechos Humanos (CM&)
- ‘True Revolutionaries Make Peace’: Colombia Awards its Human Rights Defenders (NTN 24)
