Trade union leader dies in Palmira following motorcycle gunmen attack
Alejandro Caicedo, Sunet leader in Palmira, succumbed on 7 May after four months in intensive care. The attack occurred on the night of 30 December in Valle del Cauca.
Trade union leader dies in Palmira following motorcycle gunmen attack
Alejandro Caicedo Gavilán, who served as general secretary of the Sunet union in Palmira, died on 7 May following a prolonged stay in intensive care. The 41-year-old union leader was struck by bullets on the night of 30 December in the municipality of Valle del Cauca, when armed men travelling on a motorcycle attacked him.
According to information provided by Arvey Lozano, second in command of the union's Palmira branch, the injuries proved fatal due to a shot that damaged the carotid artery, causing a haemorrhage that could not be controlled. The union member remained hospitalised for over four months before dying.
In a conversation with Latam Gremial, Lozano stated that the crime demonstrates the violence that, from his perspective, certain political sectors seek to reinstate. He described Caicedo as a person of great influence within the local labour movement, recognised for his dedication and transparency.
The murdered union leader had faced persecution in the past for his youth activism, which earned him serious threats. Faced with the risk, he was forced to abandon his higher education and go into exile, travelling through various countries in Europe and Latin America before returning to Colombian territory, where he resumed his union work.
Figures from the Indepaz Institute indicate that in 2025 alone, at least 187 social leaders and human rights defenders have been murdered in the country. Those cases are added to 67 additional homicides reported so far this year.
Information from Latam Gremial
Source: Google News CO — Crime