Yuly Velásquez, environmental leader: "Defending rights causes death in Colombia"

Colombian environmental leader Yuly Velásquez, known as the "amphibian woman" for her defense of the Magdalena River, has stated that defending rights causes death in Colombia. Her activism has resulted in three assassination attempts, multiple displacements, and constant threats, alongside receiving the Defensora award.

Velásquez's situation highlights the severe risks faced by environmental and human rights defenders in Colombia, where local leaders often encounter violence and persecution for protecting critical natural resources such as the country's longest and most important river.