Proposal – The objective of the following paper is to highlight the effects of the oppression and killings of social leaders and human rights defenders on social participation. Design /Methodology – The analysis focused on the case study applied to Colombia, which takes into account the increase in threats and killings of trade union leaders and human rights defenders, with a particular increase after the signing of the Peace Accords in 2016. In order to establish the repercussions on civil expression and social participation, an analysis has been carried out of the indicators of violence committed against trade union leaders and human rights defenders and the data on civil participation in the country. Results – The results of this study show that violent acts against social leaders and human rights defenders affect social participation, as demonstrated by the analysis of the different correlation variables applied to the study. Social implications – This study provides a baseline for the evaluation of the impact of power groups on social expression and thus the formation of social capital with positive links.