houses eva, hanover, a composite skeleton of a tyrant. soros rex dinosaur has fetched more than $6000000.00 at auction in switzerland. it's nearly 4 meters high, and made up of 3 different specimens found in the u. s. of osler's early the 3rd of its kind to come up for auction in 2020. another t rex skeleton was bought by a private bit up from the united arab emirates for $31000000.00. ah, it's heavy with the seller, adrian finnegan here in though how the headlines are al jazeera, a ceasefire agreement between warring signs and saddam as faltered. turning into a forced to have fighting, at least 185 people have been killed in a violent power struggle between the army and the country's largest paramilitary force. many residents, so they have no food or water. oh,

the situation is very hard. that's not a secret to any one. it was sudden, there's no electricity, no water. it is the 4th day in a row without water. we don't know what will happen in the coming days, but i hope for the best i lamoya. it's a great struggle. no water, no electricity is panic and fear we haven't slept for 4 days. the children are terrified. violence is forced doctors and patients to abandon hospitals. sedans, health ministry says that at least 60 of shut down some clinics, have been bombed, while others have closed due to a lack of supplies. here as cable network fox news has agreed to pay dominion voting systems, nearly $800000000.00 to settle a defamation lawsuit. the company sued forks for making claims that its voting machines swayed the result of the 2020 presidential election. one person has died, several others are injured. altura parking garage collapsed to new york. the fire

department used robotic dogs and drones to search for workers who are inside the building at the time of the collapse north korea's leader kim jong and has ordered officials to launch the countries 1st spy satellite this month. state media released these images of chem and his daughter visiting the aerospace development facility in pyongyang. kim says the boosting. surveillance is a priority to counter threats from the u. s. and south korea. the russian and ukranian presidents visited some of their forces with both sides sent for a potential spring escalation. the conflict in ukraine has become largely deadlocked with heavy fighting in the east 11 indonesia and fishermen have been rescued from a tiny island of australia's eastern coast of the surviving almost a week without food or water. that boat was caught in a powerful cyclone 6 days ago, and those were headlines keep up to date with all the news on our website out there a dot com that he's continues on al jazeera. after the stream,

thanks. talk to al jazeera, we ask who is really fighting this wolf? russia? isn't wagner, or is it the russian or military? we listen, we started talking to me on my own so that this. yeah, i, your citizen is look to get him back. we meet with global news makers and talk about the stories that matter on al jazeera. god. hello, welcome to the stream of josh, rushing to day columbia, and the dangerous job of being a human rights activist in that country. now what you're seeing here, these are the top 5 countries where human rights activist and social leaders were killed last year. look at columbia. it's at the top, a $186.00 killed. that's according to the latest report from the rights group. frontline defenders. so in today's episode, we look at the reasons why columbia is the world's deadliest country for those

wanting to protect human rights. and what's been done about it. ah, joining us, joining us from bogota, laura benita, deputy director of the perez foundation, that the latin american think tank specializing in conflict analysis. also bogota inigo, alexander. he's a columbia based journalist covering human rights and social justice. and in dublin, ireland. sarah de war global head of protection for the rights group. frontline defenders. and as always, you're also at the table. if you're watching this on youtube, check it out. we have a live stream producer waiting there to get your comments to me so i can get them to our guest today and you and i will, we can do this thing together, right. all right, let's begin with laura. why is it so dangerous to be a human rights defender in columbia of all places? well, basically the charge for it is because our long work history and our long are

met conflicts to be a little bit more clear for the audience columbia, half of long term conflict. for so many years ish, 101520 years. we try to do a piece process. our last piece process was sale is the implementation of their piece agreement. and that creates like the sensation and the feeling in the most of the colombian estate can accomplish basically with nothing. also that creates a lot of frustration in the field and at the same time during the 5 year versus what's not really present in the field. and implies that as many groups, any kind of pharma groups are starting to grow up in the, especially in the rural area, especially certain areas. so for that kind of our group,

their socio and either ship are the enemy. why? because all those are met groups as leaving from the violence day on light at violin producers and they are the shape and weight saturday, their violence. so i still she'll either a human slice defenders usually try to stop that auction from our mate group. try to speak a no loud about it, a retail console of the bio lancer's american face. so that's why right now for a bad type of violence. no dissertation in columbia. so dramatic for human rights defenders and also for social leaders and something that they think that is really important is that the columbia is very generous with it. we've got the cookie station. so for us usually day so shall be theirs. and the human rights defenders

a used to be the same person in the field. and so may be also find that 3 somewhat half, you know, 100 that a, these cases. what, speaking of a 186 cases there, i actually want to put a, a face on some of those names rather than just being numbers. so sarah, your partner, frontline, defenders, we, we've gone to your website here and, you know, just looking at it, it's broken down by country york at columbia and look at these faces, attempted killing new death threat. death threat killed was lifeless purpose was going on. this one here to feel leo aconia. what can you tell us about him? why was he killed now think it was for, for bringing to flow into this conversation then definitely, i think when we have numbers more than reporting a number of cases, we want to bring the memory of those who are killed the story of why they would

kill it so when the keys still look when he was actually killed together with another defender short hold on, but they were killing the february last year. the 2 of them were company seen those leaders sometimes in english, not the best for thing because then you had the money in the context of latin america company. see, you know, it's what translates better the kinds of community rules that they are looking at. so they were 2 defenders duplicating for land. right. so the booking for the right company seems to be way to sustain, to have the conditions to sustain their livelihood. and both of them, i think this is emblematic case because they're awful and hearty. they actually came up with public, denounces about the death threats they were being subjected to. and only 2 days before they would kill it. they was again a public that now on the death threats they were being subjected to because of that the now they were making, i guess the role of them on the policy and the local police. so which of them were

actually show that i think front of their family and known and you today, we don't have a response of who are actually responsible for that particular case. i think this is an implement to case because show that those individuals are not on the isolated individuals, but they represent collect to the struggles as a lotta lotta will say, in the context of columbia, how important it is. as part of that, we need to the 1st part of the community organize, and i think the keys are often lou again, it also shows the foster of the criminalization of human rights defenders in the place of below b. so they often was actually detained in 2020 and that shows a story like he was saying he received the best. and then finally he was to, which i think for else is the lack of effective protection for human rights to send . there's a tree in that conference, and then another case that we want to look into an ego,

can you tell us about this 14 year old boy who was killed in galka? yeah, that case was one, the restrict according to care last here took place 30 in the year in january, right at the start of the year when the 1st few him right to enter that in particular case environmental defender to who was murdered. and the strike thing about the cases is age was just 14 shot dead in the region of south south west of the country. and he was murdered when he was taking part in the traditional patrol of one of the indigenous territory, which he lived in part of the indigenous guard, which is but a national organization, the no non group and de tustin selves with trying to protect their own territory. and trying to defend the community and the causes from potential threats and risk because a lot of those, the business which is to live in areas of the country which are heavy presence of our groups. and as a consequence, suffer quite a lot of termination violence and he was unfortunately killed when they were

ambushed. his patrol was ambush him and he was going on with his father, who i believe survived. but another member was also killed. and they just faced open fire in the small rural area of, of galico when they were just trying to troll and, and provide a minimum the degree of protection and insecurity to unable communities. they'd heard that there was a legit presence of armed groups in the community. the patrol went down to try and see what was going on and just try and see if they could come down situation or at least provide some degree of protection to the communities. and as a result they, they just and young thing that unfortunate or killed just goes to show a lot of the, a lot of the killings are just, you know, i'm probably done talking to the tax that just take lines of you know, some people like like dana, who is 14 year old who was just taking part of his patrol and tried to defend his community and tried to force as well and the environment. and as

a result of being part of that patrol in that community, he was so that was the case that in particular, the district court and the year. yeah, i want to make clear talking about him patrolling to defend as community. i want our audience to understand. they were not armed. it was just basically they're there. right? yeah, yeah, exactly. yeah. so really cool on. yes, i was just saying the business card is, is as josh was saying, not an on their own on the pacific group. and they just patrol the areas just provides a minimum level of safety and security from those threats which as i mentioned before, and the indigenous areas have quite a heavy right, right. so it's just the presence of arms, of sort of an on rather indigenous patrols. i try to turn that i want to bring in some reporting. this is done by my friend and colleague allison joe. somebody who's

down in bogota, reports from columbia for al jazeera english on our new side. and he interviewed oscar some bio, who's an environmental activist from there. and i want to share this piece of video husker told us that he's been threatened by criminals. he claims are responsible for dumping toxic waste in agricultural or protected areas near to city of but lack of better may her the government. this provided him with a day time body guard a flat jacket and a panic button. but he says the security measures are no match for the armed groups who operate with impunity, which as a soda, we escape the government institution. they should be recourse like the regional attorney, general inspector general, the ombudsman, or from the other way because they have been collected by the criminal group. are laura, there's a couple things i want to touch on there visually. want to move to impunity, which has brought up idea of it. but even before that, i think it was in your pre interview. you told us something along the lines that

the violence is the economy. yes. can you, can you explain how hyper? yes. so many people, especially in, i used to work with a swedish organization for so many d as a most of the people outside columbia. believe that this is a nice shield one you know, ah, above medical sir, it be for any legal economy. and the solution to all of that is just, you know, and our 5 day legal economies of the cream and i'll economies they believe here is that we don't call this same conflict that another cone please. with that, of course we, they are on maybe the bus but where you now we have the not, of course in one place we have a met groups, shelly vile, inserted. so basically all the groups go really far, many tardies, private army groups are sally like

a therapy. so the bio list and perfection. so i personally know some part, michael leak and i am from the same region. so what is the point with that? this is a pretty good case to explain their socio and be there is a mentor be there are again, you know, some kind of condemnation. so people who are constantly may think they are not taking direct leaders. they hire some group or they give morning to some group and that group for us in that region. this is a petroleum region that group doesn't need to move and are called 16 and it plays up the sound, the quantity for exam. it's more easier to go with today. detail, economy of petroleum calling on me, all, any kind of oil and then g, and try to extract that resources calling them. and if you just finish, they're not put off right now. we are in a high crisis. economic crisis. no, no,

not. it's not now a good business in columbia, so people are suffering in the field. you know, they don't have anything to buy the coke up crops. so why are we still define this? because the 2nd group that we know that before of these crisis, they were buying things and they were buying the coca leech and that's the same groups are trying to equally stay around, you know, using the extortion. oh, and that explain why are these groups are just literally 3 al concerned that that we could consider if he of these new conflict in columbia, i mean, generally latin america. well, want to bring in some voices from you to for watching the show right now. this is from youtube or man says drugs is the most important problem and columbia. and then um, okay, whatever, so this at that their name, not mine, says i'm wondering,

to what extent do people there know about the idea of human rights. it seems, at least they know there's a concept of human rights before. therefore they have so many activists standing up . ah, and then there was one about impunity in, oh, is this because or no effect of state institutions that's from brian filter. now we're going to answer these questions, but 1st i want to bring in one more video comment from our community. this is from andrew miller, is the ag advocacy director at amazon watch. the petro administration has placed human rights defenders in very important positions of influence. for example, the vice president, frontier marquez, also the piece commissioner danny, the railway, the among others. those individuals, however, are facing entrenched systems of impunity. for example, the fiscal handed al columbia attorney general francisco barbosa has not demonstrated to political will to investigate and hold accountable government officials responsible for human rights violations. one example is the alderman. so

massacre from last year in which colombian counter narcotics units killed 11 people, including community leaders and a key tra, indigenous governor to date, an investigation has not been carried out and officials have not been held accountable. inigo, why are people being held to account for these murders? yeah, that's a long standing issue that columbus had the ramp and impunity. and they inefficient in the inefficiency. so in this regard, a lot of it is down to the fact that i believe the groups that are often times carrying out these kings, they know they can get, you know, they can get away with them. they know that they're operating in areas where they are basically the de facto government. and they can do as a clean, especially in terms of dealing with a opposition voices or any resistance when you elicit economies. so there has been long history of they impunity. and i just wanted to bring up

a point that something that i mentioned is a video which is the state protection system. they have a national protection unit as part of the ministry of interior here in columbia, which provides protection to people in the threats people overseas perceived harm. but that's basically the go to mechanism and it's not an effective one. last year was given a budget of just over a $1000000.00, i believe, which in the grounds can things is not a lot. and it's also a very inefficient, very slow process. i've spoken to a number defenders who are allegedly protected under that program, but have voice for months and months and months and months received that section. and the protection is fairly minimal immigrants going to think again, like i mentioned in the video, maybe that proof that maybe a driver might not do desk a building on what you had the we have dealt with cases in which people were threatened by those were supposed to be protecting them in the program. so that means the problem has a number of limitations and i think in the context of columbia,

it's really important to think to then to exactly who are those defenders who have been killed when we look at this number of 108 to 6 cases or the case has been collect, verify, then in the case of columbia, very important innovation to some of the studies come up with the numbers and the breakdown. so when we opened those numbers, when we're looking at, we are looking at 4 to 0 percent of them are indigenous peoples. and we are looking at 7 to 2 out of those a 186 cases where people involved with the monopolies, which means people who actually took up a leadership role in the very, very local levels. so people who are involved on community organizing on lands, right, which is evidence the fact that those protection mechanisms don't reach those most isolated community, which means the protection mechanisms that are not accessible where they are most need that know you can access it. but it's not everywhere, it's not consistent across the country. so i think you got flight as correctly. and

i'm sure loud also has been when you're talking about the ineffectiveness of this protection system. i want you to know we reached out for video comments from colombia, and some of the people were really too scared to put their face on camera. so we had this comment, this is from one who's a guzman is a climate justice activist in new york city. i can forward to you on behalf of the community, i'm very fond of in northern columbia. they are chosen not to show their faces because they feel threatened by our groups and the region. these groups are establishing new territorial control over disputed lands between peasants. indigenous communities, and tourist development in northern columbia. these groups are only enticing violence, but seek to control this land to be able to carry weapons to traffic drugs, and to be able to exploit natural resources such as land was. and

mine's local communities have gone. have come forward to the government asking for support and for help the local authorities fear these armed groups and the central colombian government has so far remain silent. laura, what can be done? what should be done? yes, well this will be maybe this will sound simple, but it's not simple to do that with no 1st they impunity have a lot to do with our center lease. so people in bacteria can not use the la callo thought this to protect themselves. so they have to call to go, but they have to look for a g o. they have to look for another you stick to sions, to help them to get the affection that they need. in the 2nd place, people, for instance, you are talking about of kalika. kalika is the most dramatic situation right now

for indigenous people, especially for women. so we meant indigenous women in calcutta if they want to implement a collective world of protection, they need to go to ball with that because their local estate don't have the capacity or the interest to do something really effective. and that could take a lot of time because our bureaucracy and also because our corruption cor, broke chiles glows, connect that with violence in columbia. and this is really important because is like where they okay these dishes. but recently there you and i, you know, they you and be when he that last year now. but for the next young buddy stick to sion. beep at that thread against a bit, but not the threat back against the director. so that director try to control the corruption within institution. i hear receive

a bit of back. wow. so this is latha love to know, but i see them bethel half a break but will about human wise defenders. but the government needs to understand and if we don't be or a local capacity, farsi will society and for the local estate, we are not doing something really effective. on the 2nd, one of the into unity, of course, of course, and do anything, something that's an increase the damocles of the situation. but if a body armor, oops one to keep victory 3, i'll cancel it will be very difficult to cover another solution. we're starting to run low on time, and i also want to look at maybe what's international community should be aware of in this situation. so i want to bring in a video comment. this is from shrewd te suresh, said land and environment defenders campaign to the lead for global witness. the colombian government must now turn commitments into action. global witness analysis

has found that columbia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for environmental defenders are enjo bought not so. most defense stories as this week reported that the families of all with 1300 defenders killed in the country are still waiting for justice. we need urgent action from the government to end this culture of impunity, which is fueling photo violence against defenders. the also need the u. s. e u, in other countries in the global not to ensure that their private sector businesses in columbia do not contribute to human rights abuses faced by defenders. so sarah, i also want to bring in a comment from you tube here. this is from kyle, marston says whatever 8 united states provides needs to stop involving handing out munitions and fire arms. and i noticed that last video comment, she talked about the global north needs to be aware of contributing to the

situation. can you talk from an international perspective of what the international community needs to do here to support columbia? no, definitely. i think if there is aspect to engage, that's the rule of the pieces and the private sector might. they might not be directly engaged on the violence, but the truth is they, they are business are being benefited by the fact that defenders are those and spending on the ways for the implementation destructive allow or destructive big projects in columbia. so those business has benefits for the fact that those a friend that have been taking out of the way have been forced this place from the community. i think in that case of columbia, if they read the civil society who has the deep knowledge and deep political understanding of the issues of protection is the civil sites in columbia. so i don't think we have knowledge to offer what we have to offer is solidarity is support to sustain the livelihoods of those communities. because ultimately those

human rights offenders are a duplicate and being killers for the fun thing, the ways of leaving for different communities. so i think one thing connection can we has to do in the end of the day to support the likelihood of communities and of course a duplicate and support bay and that's worked for for the better for better protection . and i think if we can, if it is that can be a massive issue on the challenge of protection, we have the absence of the state in the different parts of the country. and also the critical role that human rights defenders are plain still in the absence of the country that the state for the implementation of the peace agreement. the fact that the failures i put in the south in the front line of the agreement, the fact that human rights, the centers in can, we are taking up the ro, 3 employment. the piece that's so important for them means that they have to take a 3 sir. this is that this is the final 2nd for the show. thank you so much for

those final words on this. we'll keep watching this story here at al jazeera english. you can always find as it's stream that al jazeera dot com. thanks for, ah ah ah, investigating the use and abuse of power across the globe on al jazeera. from breaking down the headlines to exposing the powers attempting to finance reporting . what did you do, what to, to investigate? why didn't you ask the question?

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