U.S. concerned about violence against activists in Colombia -State Dept

The United States is concerned about violence against human rights defenders in Colombia and has raised the issue with the country's government, the State Department's spokesman said on Thursday.

"Reducing this violence and prosecuting these crimes is a top priority for both the United States and Colombia, and it's an issue we raised with the Colombian government," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters a day after advocacy group Human Rights Watch said Colombia must do more to stop of the killing of rights activists.