María Efigenia Vásquez Astudillo, Colombia

María Efigenia Vásquez Astudillo, a reporter with indigenous community radio station, Renacer Kokonuko 90.7 FM, was struck and killed by a projectile on Oct. 8, 2017 while covering clashes between indigenous community members and police in the department of Cauca in south-western Colombia. Members of the Kokonuko indigenous community – to which Vásquez reportedly also belonged – were protesting a private company’s presence on land protestors viewed as ancestral territory. News reports indicated that she was struck by a projectile launched from a firearm, but it was unclear by whom the object was launched.

 

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