Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world for environmental defenders

Yuly Velásquez (center in tan vest) president of a local fishers association and a clean-water advocate, meets with its members on a tributary of the Magdalena River. She has been attacked three times in the past two years for her environmental work. (Nathalia Angarita for NPR)

BARRANCABERMEJA, Colombia — For sounding the alarm about water pollution in and around this industrial city in northern Colombia, Yuly Velásquez seems to have a target on her back: Over the past two years, she has survived three assassination attempts.

In January 2021, gunmen shot up her house as Velásquez along with her husband and two children were sleeping inside. Months later, assailants fired on her boat, but Velásquez escaped. And in yet another attack last year, a bullet meant for Velásquez struck one of her bodyguards in the face.