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LRWC joined twenty-six NGOs to publish a statement to the Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia, expressing international concern about the conviction of David Ravelo Crespo for aggravated murder and calling on the Court to carefully consider the international community’s concerns in this important case. It is widely believed that Mr. Ravelo’s prosecution was politically motivated, as a result of his work as a human rights defender exposing criminal wrongdoing by state and paramilitary actors. International experts have pointed to serious procedural irregularities in the prosecution and trial, that undermined the defence of Mr. Ravelo, and fell seriously short of Colombian and international legal standards. Mr. Ravelo was Secretary of the board of the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (CREDHOS), based in Barrancabermeja, Santander. He was arrested on 14 September 2010 and sentenced 5 December 2012 to 18 years in prison.
