Colombia is one of the most violent countries in the world, entrenched in a decade-old civil war that pits several militant groups against each other.

Many of the players in the internal conflict, including the Colombian military, put pressure on civilians to take sides.

But in 1997 a community of 2,000 people from the village of San Jose de Apartado declared themselves a neutral "Peace Community." They decided not to carry guns, not to take any side in the conflict, and not to collaborate with any armed group.

Renata Rendon, a young human rights worker with American citizenship, went to San Jose de Apartado to try and understand how the ongoing conflict was affecting the villagers.

Renata found the community well organised, holding elections for their own governing council and even allowing their young to vote. They lived in harmony, despite being eyed with suspicion by both the army and the guerrilla groups. 

But this harmony was to be mercilessly shattered. In February 2005, eight villagers were killed, some were women and children.

There are conflicting reports on who perpetrated the crimes, but San Jose residents and international observers blame the Colombian army. For its part, the government says the victims were collaborators of the guerrillas. So far, no one has been brought to justice.