Environmentalist opposed to central Colombia mining project assassinated
Environmentalist opposed to central Colombia mining project assassinated
posted by Philipp Zwehl
Nov 5, 2013
A farm workers’ leader and fierce opponent of a controversial mining project in central Colombia has been assassinated, reported an activist website on Monday.
Cesar Garcia was an environmental activist and a prominent member of a farmer-lead opposition to “La Colossa”, a partially-developed mining proposal set to take place in the state of Tolima, about 50 miles west from Bogota, the Colombian capital. Garcia was shot in the head Saturday afternoon on his farm in Tolima, in what is being declared an assassination by investigating authorities.
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The project sparked heated protests over the last two years in the Tolima department, due to its location in an area of concentrated agricultural production and what environmentalists say are sensitive ecosystems.
Despite local opposition, however, the company successfully lobbied the Colombian government to allow exploration efforts in a forest reserve area
http://colombiareports.co/farmers-leader-environmental-acitivist-assassinated-near-colombian-capital-bogota/
