Front Line strongly condemns the murder of human rights defender, Mr Joel Pérez Cárdenas, near San Vicente del Caguán on 8 December 2008. Joel Pérez Cárdenas was one of the founders and first directors of the movement which became known as the Corporación por la Defensa de Derechos Humanos Caguán Vive (Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights in Caguán). He was the Chairman of the Junta de Acción Comunal de la Vereda Vegas Bajo Pato, (Board of Community Action of the Vereda Vegas in the region of Bajo Pato), Vice-President of the Asociación Ambiental del Bajo (The Environmental Association of Bajo Pato), and a former Councillor of San Vicente del Caguán for the Polo Democrático Alernativo (The Alternative Democratic Pole), a leftist opposition coalition. 
