Calls for investigation into mysterious death of Italian UN monitor in Colombia
Doubts over claim that Mario Paciolla, 33, killed himself
Mayor of Naples joins calls for truth and justice
Joe Parkin Daniels in Bogotá and Angela Giuffrida in Rome
Published onThu 23 Jul 2020 15.33 EDT
The mayor of Naples has joined human rights groups in calling for “truth and justice” following the death of an Italian United Nations volunteer who had been on a peace mission in Colombia.
Mario Paciolla, 33, from Naples, was found dead on 15 July at his home in San Vicente de Caguán, a town in Colombia’s southern jungle long used as a strategic rearguard for rebel groups and drug traffickers.
“We embrace his family and assure them of our support for truth and justice,” Luigi de Magistris, the mayor of Naples, told AFP on Thursday.
Colombian authorities said Paciolla, who also worked as an investigative journalist, had killed himself but family and friends are skeptical.
“We want the truth. Our son was very afraid,” Anna Motta, Paciolla’s mother, told La Repubblica. “It is not possible that our Mario, a brilliant traveler of the world and UN observer took his own life.”
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/23/mario-paciolla-colombia-italian-un-volunteer-death
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MARIO PACIOLLA 1987 – 2020
16/07/2020
Peace Brigades International greatly regrets the sad news of the death of our beloved friend and former colleague Mario Paciolla, originally from Naples, Italy. Mario passed away in the early morning of Wednesday 15 July in the city of San Vicente de Caguán, in the department of Caquetá.
Mario was a volunteer with PBI Colombia between March 2016 and August 2018 and since then he was a volunteer with the second United Nationas Verification Mission in the department of Caquetá. While in PBI, Mario was part of our Bogotá field team and later coordinator of that same team.
His passing is a great loss to his family, friends and collegues, to whom we send all our love and support. In PBI we remember Mario for his strong commitment to the defense of human rights and the protection of human rights defenders in Colombia and worldwide. We also remember him as an extraordinary friend and for his great passion for the work he carried out.
We urge that all the necessary investigations be carried out in order to establish the truth behind this painful event.
Once again we express our sincere condolences and send all our solidarity to Mario’s family, friends and collegues.
Rest in peace, dear friend.
https://pbicolombia.org/author/pbicolombia/
