IUF condemns new assassination attempt on a Colombian union leader

The IUF joins with the Colombian national center CUT in condemning the attempted assassination of a trade union leader and in calling on the government to take action. José Onofre Esquivel Luna, vice-president of the Bugalagrande section of SINALTRAINAL, was attacked by armed assailants on the evening of June 16 on the street in Medellin. One of the gunmen was killed by one of José Onofre’s security guards and another was wounded and captured by the authorities.

The CUT notes that there have been three attempts on the lives of union leaders in the last month alone in Barrancabermeja and Cartagena Medellín. The IUF has written the Colombian authorities to demand a full and open investigation and an end to the continuing impunity for such attacks.