CONSTERNATION OF THE IACHR AT THE MURDER OF 
MRS. CONSUELO ARAÚJONOGUERA IN COLOMBIA

          The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expresses its consternation at the cruel murder of Mrs. Consuelo Araújonoguera around midnight on Saturday, September 29, 2001 in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta area of the Republic of Colombia.  Mrs. Araújonoguera was well-known and respected for her political, social, and cultural work in her country, and her violent death is a severe blow for Colombian society and for those who aspire to live in peace.

The IACHR wishes to express its most sincere and profound condolences to the members of Mrs. Araújonoguera’s family and, in light of the available information regarding her kidnapping by the FARC and the circumstances of her death, to reiterate its utmost repudiation of any barbaric act that blatantly violates international humanitarian law.  The Commission trusts that the State will take all the necessary steps to investigate the facts and to prosecute and punish those responsible.

Washington, D.C., October 3, 2001