Environmental activists from the Colombian fishing community association Fedepesan have received the Human Rights Award from Amnesty International Germany.
The fishermen and women of Fedepesan frequently experience threats and harassment, the Secretary General of the organization, Julia Duchrow, said on Tuesday at the award ceremony in Berlin. The award comes with €20,000 ($21,700) prize money.
"With our prize, we are showing them: You are not alone. We are here. Because your fight is also ours." The president of the organization, Yuly Velásquez, called on the Colombian government to protect the environment in one of the most remote regions in the world.
Duchrow praised the association for traditional fishing, environmental protection and tourism in the Santander region (Fedepesan) for documenting environmental pollution, organizing demonstrations, carrying out clean-up campaigns and lobbying the authorities.
The activists are exposed to great dangers. Tools and boats are stolen and the fishermen are verbally abused, threatened and physically attacked. There are few countries where campaigning for the protection of the environment and human rights is as dangerous as in Colombia. Between 2016 and 2022, around 1,000 human rights activists were killed there.
Duchrow said the members of Fedepesan are publicly pilloried in Colombia, and are accused of jeopardising jobs and economic development in the region with their political work.
Amnesty called on the Colombian government to investigate those responsible for attacks on members of the group and to prosecute the perpetrators. Duchrow said the prize for Fedepesan means "above all attention - and attention protects".
Amnesty Germany awards the prize every two years, and this is the twelfth time it has done so. Previous winners include the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (2022), the sea rescue crew Iuventa10 (2020) and the Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture in Cairo (2018).