Stigmatization of human rights defenders and social leaders and criminality in Colombia

This article analyzes the phenomenon of the social stigmatization of human rights defenders and social leaders in Colombia and its relationship with the persecution, threats, harassment, and homicides against this population, especially after the 2016 Peace Agreement. This relationship has been particularly ignored even though it explains much of the criminality directed against social defenders and leaders in the country, which tends to be normalized, even holding the victims themselves responsible for the violence they endure on account of their activities. The article highlights the responsibility of illegal armed groups and their illicit economies and the State's criminal policy failures to control this stigmatization and criminality in Colombia.