Tomorrow morning, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) is holding a press conference with the National Association for Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES) to discuss the disproportionate levels of violence directed at Afro-descendent communities in Colombia. The press conference will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, October 26th, at 8:30 am at WOLA.
WOLA, AFRODES, and a number of other Colombian human rights organizations have recently received numerous death threats from the Colombian paramilitary group known as the Black Eagles. In recent months, a number of Afro-Colombian leaders have been murdered.
Since 1999, AFRODES has defended the rights of thousands of Afro-Colombians who have been violently forced from their homes. AFRODES is this year's recipient of the WOLA Human Rights Award. The award will be presented tomorrow evening during a formal dinner ceremony at the Organization of American States (OAS).
About the WOLA Human Rights Award: The award is offered annually to organizations and/or individuals whose work demonstrates a commitment to and impact on the advancement of human rights in Latin America. In the past, WOLA has given the award to U.S. Senator Chris Dodd and U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, to the Mexican human rights organization Tlachinollan, and to OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, among others. This year, WOLA is also granting its human rights award to former Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet.
WOLA is located at the intersection of Connecticut Ave. & R St NW
1666 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20009
Closest Metro: Dupont Circle on the Red Line (Q St Exit)
To RSVP for the press conference, please contact:
Kristel Mucino, Communications Coordinator
kmucino@wola.org or 202-797-2171.