CNN
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Colombian police is investigating the acid attack on human rights activist Lilia Patricia Cardozo in the Boyaca region in the northwest of the country, according to the city council.
Cardozo is the director of a women’s rights NGO called Plataforma Feminista Boyacense (Boyacense Feminist Foundation), which works to end domestic abuse, gender violence and discrimination, including including rescuing victims from abusers.
On Monday, an unidentified assailant threw a chemical agent at Cardozo while she was walking in the park. Cardozo, who is still under medical observation, was injured on the left side of his face, a spokesman for the NGO wrote on Facebook.
University Hospital San Rafael de Tunja said the chemical thrown at Cardozo affected 4% of her body, including her face and chest.
Cardozo has been the target of death threats since 2022, which prompted the country’s National Guard Unit to approve a safety procedure to protect her last September.
But the Boyacense Feminist Platform accused Tunja’s local authorities of exposing Cardozo by activating the secure protocol too slowly.
The mayor of Tunja, Alejandro Funeme, said the protocol was implemented late on February 14 due to lack of funding.
Local police are investigating the incident and working to identify the attacker, who faces charges of murdering the woman.
Women and human rights defenders are particularly at risk in Colombia. According to the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia, in 2022, 614 cases of murder of women were reported.
According to Human Rights Watch, since 2016, more than 500 human rights activists have been killed in the country, making it one of the most dangerous countries for human rights defenders worldwide. world.
