The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia

Human Rights in Colombia must be a priority for all political parties

On international human rights day genuine steps must be taken to combat attacks on human rights defenders in Colombia

In 2014 in both Colombia and the European Union important elections will take place. The dialogues in Havana between the government and the FARC are a step towards building peace in Colombia, but as we have said repeatedly, this is only one step and much needs to be done to achieve lasting peace. In Oidhaco we are concerned that in 2013 human rights violations have increased rather than decreased, as shown by the steady rise in killings of human rights defenders; by September, 52 men and women who struggled for human rights in Colombia had been killed. The Colombian Constitutional Court has stated that sexual violence is a crime perpetrated by all the armed actors and that it is ‘a habitual, extensive, systematic and invisible practice’. Colombia has the highest number of human rights violations in the western world.

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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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