Official communiqué of the National Centre of Historical Memory*.

A memorial mural about trans victims in the municipality of Chaparral, Tolima, was erased by unknown persons, and in its place, an inscription saying "HP" was made. The CNMH rejects this type of violence against LGBT victims.

The Chaparral Diversa Association, as a representative of victims of the armed conflict, has developed actions of memory and advocacy in the public sphere. Its work has been accompanied, at various times, by institutions and organisations such as the National Centre for Historical Memory, USAID, the Government of Tolima, the Yapawaira Association, the Santamaría Foundation, Colombia Diversa and ACDI-VOCA.

The CNMH accompanied the Association as part of the Historical Memory Initiatives, a process also supported by ACDI-VOCA. The initiative aimed to reconstruct memory about the "Reinado Trans del Río Tuluní", in the municipality of the department of Tolima. The process of historical memory was carried out during 2017, developing actions around the advocacy and visibility that the organisation carries out in favour of their rights. We also worked on the possibility of establishing a dialogue with entities on the collective reparation of the LGBT sectors of the municipality.

In 2018, Professor Alanis Bello, together with the Community Education Degree of the Pedagogical University, has continued this process of memory, where they seek to be recognised as subjects of collective reparation. The mural that was erased is part of this recognition and the events, according to the teacher, unfolded as follows:

1. • The mural was conceived as a form of support from the Bachelor's Degree in Community Education of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, to the process of recognition as a subject of collective reparation currently being carried out by the Asociación Chaparral Diversa LGBTI.

• • The University requested a permit from the mayor's office of Chaparral to create the mural (also attached). This permission was granted, not without delay, on 18 May 2018 (the authorisation is attached). That same day the mural was made together with the members of the Association and some teachers and students of the degree. The mural sought to commemorate the LGBT victims of the armed conflict in the south of Tolima, as well as the resistance of the Trans reign of the Tuluní River.

• • The materials, labour and design of the mural were the responsibility of the Universidad Pedagógica, and as an institution, we find it very disconcerting that the Chaparral municipality did not provide us with security and logistical support for the mural. Also, on the date that this vehicle of memory was built, the Mayor's Office was inaugurating a neighbouring street, right next to the space where the mural was located. On that occasion, municipal officials did not go near the mural, nor did they carry out an awareness-raising process with the community or the local action board. The only thing they said in public was that there were "extravagant people who put a lot of inconvenience to the municipal administration".

• • According to the Chaparral Diversa Association, after the mural was erected, the Mayor's Office did not organise a day of information, awareness-raising and dialogue with the community of the Versalles neighbourhood, where the piece was located, nor did it provide security and logistical guarantees for the creation of the mural, or for its conservation. Furthermore, the mural was made on the wall of the Gabriela Mistral Public School, an institution where there was no awareness-raising day for the educational community to promote respect for the victims of the LGBT sectors, nor for their memories. We firmly believe that the Mayor's Office was in breach of article 2.4.4.4.1.4 of the Decree 410 of 2018which stipulates that it is the responsibility of mayors' and governors' offices to promote non-discriminatory environments for people in the sectors of the population. LGBT.

• • The mural was erased the week of 21 May. In addition to the difficulties with the local government and the fear of the presence of armed actors, it is very serious that the community, backed by the inaction of the Mayor's Office, is promoting hateful actions that go against the LGBT sectors and the victims of the armed conflict. This erasure represents a hard blow for the process of visibility of the victims of the LGBT sectors of Chaparral, as they feel threatened and cornered by this outrage to their memory, as well as feeling the lack of institutional support (from the Mayor's Office) and from the community of Chaparral.

• At the moment, the Association has decided to stop its political actions in the territory because they feel that there are no guarantees of security or respect to continue, according to William Álvarez, president of the Association. The Association is terrified because, as they have already been victims of armed actors, they do not rule out that the erasure of the mural has been promoted, either by the community, the armed actors present in the territory or common delinquency.

The CNMH joins the voices of rejection of this type of acts, which constitute violence against LGBT social sectors, their processes of memory and peaceful resistance.

Since January 2018 our Peace area has been accompanying the Chaparral Diversa LGBTI Association in their dream of being recognised as subjects of collective reparation for the differential and disproportionate affectations they experienced as a group due to the organisation of the Tuluni River trans reign. Today we want to reiterate our commitment to the recognition of the rights of LGBT victims of violence due to prejudice in the armed conflict and publicly denounce all acts that seek to erase our identity from our territories. #NotOneStepBack

(See here the communiqué sent by the Chaparral Diversa Association to the CNMH).