Another Leftist Colombian Leader Survives Assassination Attempt

[Judi Lynn]

Another Leftist Colombian Leader Survives Assassination Attempt


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Imelda Daza was exiled in Sweden for almost three decades after receiving death threats for her involvement with
the Patriotic Union. | Photo: EFE

Published 7 May 2016
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Imelda Daza was among the founders of the Patriotic Union, a big-tent leftist party created by the FARC and the Communist Party.


A founder of Colombia’s leftist Patriotic Union survived an assassination attempt during an activist meeting Friday night.

Imelda Daza, who returned last year after almost three decades in exile, said that she saw something like a grenade thrown into the room, followed by gunshots and exchanges of fire. She told El Espectador that she escaped but did not know whether there were any injuries.

“This very serious,” said Daza. “There are no coincidences here; they tried to kill me.”
Daza was active in the leftist scene in her native Cesar, one of the most violence-ridden regions in Colombia. The year she was elected as councilwoman for the Patriotic Union party, Daza received too many death threats to stay.

The Patriotic Union was a big-tent, leftist political party born out of peace negotiations in 1985. The party embodied the hope that Colombia could break with its violence-plagued past and achieve change through the electoral process.

More:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Another-Leftist-Colombian-Leader-Survives-Assassination-Attempt-20160507-0004.html

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