United Steelworkers International President Leo W. Gerard today condemned the unending violence and murder that has claimed the lives of 25 labor union members and activists so far this year in Colombia.

In a letter to Colombia President Alvara Uribe Velez, Gerard expressed grave concern about the latest killing. Gustavo Gomez, of SINALTRAINAL, a union that the USW has worked with for almost a decade, was gunned down in his home in Dosquebradas, Colombia on Aug. 21.

”We urge the Colombian government to investigate and punish the perpetrators and instigators of this crime and to protect the lives of members of SINALTRAINAL and their families,’’ Gerard wrote. Click here for more.