Asociación de Afectados por el Proyecto Hidroeléctrico El Quimbo
The Asociación de Afectados por el Proyecto Hidroeléctrico El Quimbo (ASOQUIMBO) is an organization composed of peasants, artisanal fishermen and fisherwomen, day laborers, from the Department of Huila, Colombia, who since 2009 have defended their territory against the damages suffered due to the construction and operation of the El Quimbo hydroelectric dam. ASOQUIMBO has resisted the accumulation by dispossession and the destruction of ecosystems by transnational corporations, fighting for the construction of an alternative model of Energy and Food Sovereignty decided collectively by the communities according to their needs and the care of natural and cultural assets. They work from the political, organizational, legal and communicative scenario.
HRDs in Colombia work in a violent and unsafe environment. They are subjected to threats, intimidation, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, physical assaults, torture, killings, illegal searches of their homes and offices and stigmatisation as a result of their activities in defence of human rights. The perpetrators of these abuses are frequently paramilitary groups, many of whom have links to the government or security services, or armed opposition groups. The continued frequent and severe threats and attacks against HRDs around the country contradict government claims of paramilitary demobilisation.
