Johan
Vargas
Torres
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↘ Case .16
After attending a community meeting in the village of San Luis Robles, in the rural area of Tumaco (Nariño), Johan Alexis Vargas Torres was walking home. It was 8:30 a.m. on January 24, 2016, and as he passed by the park in his hometown, several people approached him and shot him, ending his life.
Johan was a member of the Rescate Las Varas Community Council, a Black community that collectively owns nearly 15,000 hectares in La Perla del Pacífico in Colombia. He was also a regional spokesperson for the National Coordination of Afro-descendant Organizations and Communities (CONAFRO) and for Marcha Patriótica in Nariño.
Before his life was taken, the Afro-Colombian leader had informed authorities that he had been receiving threats.
In addition, in a statement, CONAFRO and Marcha Patriótica reminded that, at the time, other Afro leaders were also being threatened, so this murder cannot be considered an isolated case.
“We call for an end to the threats against other leaders in this community, no matter where they come from. We demand that the National Government, specifically the Ministry of the Interior, provide security for the remaining leaders who are under threat, and ensure they have the necessary protection to carry out their daily political activities for the benefit of their communities,” the statement said.
This crime occurred during the peace talks between the now-defunct FARC guerrillas and the government of Juan Manuel Santos in Havana, Cuba. Among the possible suspects in Johan’s murder are members of the Fre...
The Rescate Community Council has not yet been able to recover the truth or the peace in San Luis Robles, because only the Prosecutor’s Office can uncover it.
