The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia

Day: 19 March 2012

Human rights situation in Colombia – DROI hearing – 19 March 2012

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Analysis on the situation in Colombia on the occasion of the hearing of the Human Rights Sub-Committee of the European Parliament. It deals with, among others, the persistent violations of IHL, impunity and attacks against human rights defenders.

In the face of the lack of guarantees for the fulfilment of human rights in Colombia, continued impunity, the persistence of the armed conflict, as well as the lack of mechanisms in the Agreement to guarantee real protection for human rights, OIDHACO considers that the European Parliament should not ratify the Agreement with Colombia while there are not significant changes with regards to these issues. The ratification of the Agreement with Colombia would give out a signal of approval for the policies of the Colombian government, and ignore the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed in the country.

Our solidarity is universal.

We are deeply concerned about all victims of armed conflict, repression and violence around the world — from Sudan to Syria, including the persecution of the Rohingya and so many other crises that often receive less international attention than they deserve. Each of these situations calls for solidarity, remembrance, justice and action.

However, we have decided to specifically highlight the message ‘Stop Genocide in Palestine’ because what is happening in Palestine represents not only a human tragedy of enormous magnitude, but also a direct challenge to the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and to the rules-based international system itself. The indifference and complicity of much of the international community in the face of the apartheid regime imposed by the Israeli government on the Palestinian people represent one of the greatest moral and political contradictions of our time.

The persistent violation of essential norms — such as the protection of the civilian population, the prohibition of collective punishment and respect for proportionality in the use of force — not only has devastating consequences for the Palestinian population, but also erodes the global mechanisms designed to limit the power of states and prevent abuses.

When these rules are repeatedly breached without any effective consequences, the framework that protects all populations in conflict situations, anywhere in the world, is weakened. Therefore, speaking out in this case does not mean ignoring other forms of suffering, but rather emphasising the urgency of defending an international order which, if it collapses, leaves everyone in a more vulnerable position.

Drawing attention to this situation is, therefore, an act consistent with the universal values we uphold: the protection of life, human dignity and respect for international law, without exception.

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