c) as a result of the precautionary measures granted by the Commission, Mr.
Danilo Rueda has faced the risk under a protection scheme of collective nature
granted by Colombia to all members of the CIJP. 3 According to the information
received, “although there have been sequence of harassments and attacks
against Mr. Danilo Rueda, 'there has been no assessment and reassessment by
the [National Protection] Unit of the protection scheme' given his specific
case.” 4 In view of the worsening of the situation, as of March 8, 2013, the
Commission requested the State to "strengthen the protection measures [...
s]pecifically, in favor of [...] Danilo Rueda, Director of the Organization";
d) on April 4, 11 and 22, 2014, the CIJP reported that Mr. Danilo Rueda had
undergone new threats and harassment and asked the Inter-American
Commission to request provisional measures in his favor. The Inter-American
Commission said it has identified a particular incidence and increase in the
threats with a notable increase specifically against Danilo Rueda. In particular,
it noted that:
i. on January 16, 2014, in the city of Neiva, "unknown persons left a threat
in the mail box of Mr. Danilo Rueda’s family home. The message said 'Tell
your brother to take care. He was very careless when visiting his family.
They are not bothering. They are very aware. We know his friends do
things for the good of the people. I do not participate in the bad. Tell him
to take care.’ According to the petitioners, while Mr. Danilo Rueda was in
that city, the National Protection Unit did not respond to facilitate a
protection scheme ";
ii. on February 28, 2014 “a man and a woman left a note in a mailbox which
said 'keep fucking with letters, you’ll be dead like dad,’ referring to Mr.
Danilo Rueda, who in recent days had lost his father;”
iii. on March 8, 2014 “the protection scheme had identified in the city of
Neiva a new monitoring scheme for Mr. Danilo Rueda. The person who
was stalking him was allegedly 'delivering reports on the defender’s
movements and taking photographic records’”;
iv. on March 17, 2014 “on three occasions, a man ‘with a military-style' had
monitored Mr. Danilo Rueda’s journalistic activity while developing the
Agrarian Summit. The protection scheme monitored two men who
3
The Commission noted that, “in the context of the precautionary measures for CIJP, the State in its
latest report of January 23, 2014, noted that the Commission on Risk Assessment and Risk Management CERREM- approved: i) 23 means of communication (confirm 13 cell phones and adjust 10 avanteles that
need to be changed for 10 cellular means of communication); ii) reassign an armored vehicle and an
unarmed security guard to the city of Bogotá for Father Franco; iii) confirm 3 conventional vehicles on
terrain and four armored vehicles in the city of Bogota; iv) 5 additional men to protect the armored vehicles
that are in the city of Bogotá, who are 'pre-approved' until CIJP accepts them. It was also reported that the
police continue with the completion of rounds at the CIJP headquarters.”
4
According to the Commission, under the collective protection scheme, Mr. Danilo Rueda used an
armored vehicle with a driver and an escort shared with other members of CIJP who are also face risk.
However, as a result of his work, Mr. Danilo Rueda frequently travels to different regions of the country,
especially Atrato, Cauca, Putumayo, Buenaventura and Neiva, in which there is a "gap in protection" since
the National Protection Unit does not guarantee the conditions for the protection scheme to carry out duties
in cities where Mr. Danilo Rueda travels.
3