The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia

Day: 14 August 2013

The international community must act to protect Colombian indigenous peoples from violence and killings

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Of 102 indigenous peoples, 66 are at imminent risk of extinction. August 9 marked the International Day of Indigenous Peoples. However, the situation of indigenous peoples in Colombia does not leave much to celebrate.

According to the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia (ONIC), between 2009 and 2012, 438 indigenous people were killed and more than were 22,000 forcibly displaced. Between January and July 2013, 23 were killed and 1,506 displaced. The ONIC reports that 66 indigenous people are about to disappear, some with populations of less than 500 inhabitants, 18 with less than 200 and 10 made up less than 100 individuals. The ONIC also reports that indigenous peoples are “victims of a genocide that is forcing cultural and physical extermination”. The organisation also notes that “the situation of violence and destruction is intensified through killings, enforced disappearances, forced displacement, forced recruitment, sexual violence, threats and other crimes, affecting the 102 indigenous peoples in Colombia both collectively and individually, and causing them serious harm”. Only 2% of the Colombian population is indigenous, yet they account for 7% of internally displaced persons (CODHES). According to UNDP figures, 70% of Colombian indigenous children suffer from chronic malnutrition, and 63% of the indigenous population lives below the poverty line. This is despite the wealth of natural resources in indigenous territories.

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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