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Two Leaders Killed in Colombia as Violence Against Social and Political Leaders Intensifies

Event Summary

On 17 November 2025, Julián Arenas, a social and political leader from the left-wing coalition Pacto Histórico, was murdered in Chaparral (Tolima), marking the 174th killing of social leaders in 2025, according to the Institute of Studies for Development and Peace (Indepaz). In a separate incident, indigenous leader José Adelmo Valencia was attacked in early days of November while returning home in rural Santander de Quilichao. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was transferred to a clinic in Cali, where he later died on the night of 17 November 2025. These killings underscore the worsening human rights crisis in Colombia, where violence against social and indigenous leaders continues to escalate. The persistent targeting of community leaders not only threatens individual lives but also undermines democratic participation and weakens the enabling environment for civil society.

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