[1] After nearly being evicted from his property three times, Bedoya converted his own land into the “Mi Tierra Biodiversity Zone”, in an effort to protect the farmland that belonged to the Afro-Colombian community in Chocó from encroaching agro-industry corporations.
He was shot 14 times[3] by the Gaitanista Self Defense Force in Chocó between the point known as El Acopio and the hamlet of Playa Roja.
His assassination came after 2 years of threats against him and numerous other protestors from members of the paramilitary force identified by aliases “Coyote”, “Yeison”, and “Lute”.
His death devastated the population of the region, which had been celebrating 20 years of resistance to land encroachment from palm oil companies.
[5] His 18-year-old son, Ramón Bedoya, plans to become a rights activist and continue to protest the deforestation and corporate seizure of the region.