The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia

Day: 9 April 2012

Ashton must press the EU to call for peace talks in Colombia

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To mark the National Day of victims of the conflict in Colombia, held today for the first time, we make an appeal to the European Union and the international community to contribute to the opening of peace talks in Colombia.

There are millions of victims in Colombia, including those killed, displaced, disappeared, injured by landmines, raped, kidnapped, tortured, and exiled refugees. Most of these victims are civilians, including women, children and adolescents, who bear the brunt of the conflict even though they have never wielded a weapon. Colombia has lost more than fifty years to this war. We must stop the bleeding this country suffers, which every day further destroys its social fabric.

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.

Oidhaco logo - Oficina Internacional de derechos Humanos - Acción Colombia
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