Lawyer and activists threatened following Sucre massacre conviction

Yessika Hoyos Morales, a lawyer with the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective (Cajar), and members of the National Movement of Victims of State Crimes (Movice) have reported receiving death threats. The intimidations follow a recent legal victory regarding the 2018 massacre of three brothers in the La Guaripa district of Sucre.

In September, the Superior Tribunal of Sincelejo sentenced William Martínez Santamaría, the former director of Comfasucre, to 27 years in prison. The court identified him as the individual who ordered the killings of Humberto Escobar Mercado, Preliciano Mercado García, and Eusebio Osorio Mercado to seize their land. Three other men were also convicted as the material authors of the murders.

The threats, which included messages warning the victims and their legal representatives to ‘buy coffins’ if the perpetrator serves prison time, appear to be an attempt to silence those seeking justice for the family. The case, which involved a long-standing land dispute, is currently awaiting a final decision from the Supreme Court of Justice.