Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué

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Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué
Born1985
Died20 April 2021
Cause of deathgunshot by 4 unknown armed men
Body discoveredColombia
Burial placeColombia
NationalityColombian
CitizenshipColombian
Occupations
  • Indigenous people's rights activist and defender
  • Governor of the Indigenous Reserve “La Laguna-Siberia SAT Tama Kiwe”
  • Education Programme Policy Coordinator of the Indigenous Reserve
Known forindigenous people's rights activism and defence in Colombia
Notable workindigenous people's rights activism and defence in Colombia
TitleAuthority of the Nasa people (Paez people) of Colombia

Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué (1985-2021[1]) was a Colombian indigenous people rights activist and defender.

She was the authority of the Nasa people (Paez people) of Colombia. She was the governor of the indigenous reserve “La Laguna-Siberia SAT Tama kiwe” in Cauca. Being a community leader at a very young age, she was appointed the Education Programme Policy Coordinator of the Reserve. While serving as the governor, she cleared up the reserve from the illegal crops.[2][3][4]

On 20 April 2021, Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué was shot dead by 4 unknown men. These unknown men forcibly kidnapped her from her home in the indigenous reserve of “La Laguna-Siberia” in Caldono, Cauca. Later, they brought her somewhere and killed her.[5][6][7]

Activism, death threats and murder[change | change source]

Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué worked for the protection of the autonomy and the ancestral culture of the Nasa Indigenous Peoples in Colombia. She worked for the recognition of the role of women in the indigenous reserve. She protected the territory by facing dead threats and pressures from armed forces. The powerful people wanted to expand the illegal crops, illegal mining and actions that impacted Nasa collective and territorial rights and culture. She dedicated herself to create peace in the Nasa people's territories. She was upholding the rights of the indigenous peoples.[8]

On 20 April 2021, Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué was preparing for a meeting with officials from the Colombian government in the city of Popayán. It was when her home was broken into by the gangs. Then, she was attacked by the 4 unknown men holding weapons. According to a report from the "Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca" (CRIC), before she was killed, she had spoken out against the increase in the cultivation of illegal crops in the reserved place. As a result of her speech, she was threatened by the illegal groups. Those groups exercised control over the territory of the Department of Cauca. She even reported about the threats to the authorities.[9][10][11][12]

References[change | change source]

  1. pccriceditor (2022-04-21). "Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué: un legado para las mujeres del Cauca". Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca - CRIC (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  2. "Killing of NASA woman human rights defender Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué". 22 April 2021.
  3. "Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué". Front Line Defenders. 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  4. "Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué – HRD Memorial". Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  5. "Killing of NASA woman human rights defender Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué". 22 April 2021.
  6. "Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué – HRD Memorial". Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  7. "Indigenous governor murdered in Colombia: the limits of the Nasa people's resistance - IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs". www.iwgia.org. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  8. "Nasa Indigenous Governor Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué shot and killed". ABColombia. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  9. "Nasa Indigenous Governor Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué shot and killed". ABColombia. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  10. "Killing of NASA woman human rights defender Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué". 22 April 2021.
  11. "Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué – HRD Memorial". Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  12. "Indigenous governor murdered in Colombia: the limits of the Nasa people's resistance - IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs". www.iwgia.org. Retrieved 2022-04-26.

Other websites[change | change source]