The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia

Parliamentary question on the European Commission’s proposal to include Colombia in a list of safe countries of origin.

We would like to thank MEP Pernando BARRENA for his commitment to human rights and peace in Colombia. From Oidhaco we have positioned ourselves against the existence of a list of safe countries of origin which could be in contradiction with Article 3 of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

Here is the full text of the question presented by the MEP on 07 July, which can be found on the website of the European Parliament at this link. From the social organisations we will be waiting and monitoring the response of the European Commission.

Considering Colombia a ‘safe country of origin’

In a meeting with the European network the International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia (Oidhaco) and the Colombian platform CCEEU, we were informed about the serious situation of human rights defenders in Colombia. In their latest reports, Global Witness and Front Line Defenders conclude that Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world for human rights defenders and in particular for community leaders, indigenous peoples and those who defend territory and the environment. Front Line Defenders states that of the 324 human rights defenders killed in the world, 157 were killed in Colombia. According to the INDEPAZ observatory, from 1 January 2025 to 20 May 2025, 65 human rights defenders and social leaders were assassinated. The armed conflict is also affecting more and more population groups. The Ombudsman’s Office of Colombia identified at least 11 critical humanitarian emergency hotspots and the presence of non-state armed actors in 73 % of the national territory.

  1. Against this bleak backdrop, how can the Commission consider including Colombia on a list of safe countries of origin?
  2. Beyond calculations based on the number of asylum requests and rejection rates – which vary greatly from country to country – what were the criteria used by the Commission?

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