We strongly condemn the wave of violence that overtook the port city of Buenaventura on the weekend of March 29. Five youths were killed in a series of settling of accounts perpetrated by the urban illegal groups, the Shottas and Espartanos. Since the start of 2025, 50 persons have been murdered, many of them youth.
GENEVA – Alarmed by the dramatic escalation of conflict in the Catatumbo region of the department of North Santander since the beginning of the year, UN experts* today called on the Government of Colombia to ensure protection of civilians throughout the country and urged non-state armed groups to end their attacks against civilians. “Colombia is facing
Brussels 12 March 2025 The International Office for Human Rights – Action Colombia (Oidhaco)[1] rejects any kind of stigmatisation against social organisations and human rights defenders and we call on the European Union, its member states, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Norway to publicly express their support for the people and organisations that defend human
“On the occasion of International Women’s Day, OIDHACO celebrates the role that women have played in building peace in Colombia and a fairer world”, says Maïté Verheylewegen, President of Oidhaco. Brussels, 7 March 2025. This 8 March, as the world commemorates International Women’s Day, it is crucial to highlight the fundamental role that women play
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24th January 2025 Communiqué from OIDHACO and its members Regarding the Recent Events in Catatumbo and the Humanitarian Crisis[1] in Colombia The International Office for Human Rights in Colombia (OIDHACO) and its members express their deep concern over the recent events in the Catatumbo region. Located in the northeast of Colombia, in the department of
Oidhaco has prepared six Thematic Factsheets for the new European Parliament and the European Union authorities elected in 2024. These documents provide an update on the country’s human rights situation, impunity and peace building. The Factsheets present new data on the situation of women’s rights, the situation of ethnic peoples, the environment, as well as
Brussels, 23 April 2024 Subject: Welcoming the appointment of the new European Union Special Envoy for Peace in Colombia The International Office for Human Rights Action Colombia (OIDHACO), a network of 42 European organisations working for peace and respect for human rights in Colombia, welcomes the appointment of Mr. Adrianus Koetsenruijter as the new European
The “Alianza de Organizaciones Sociales y Afines por una Cooperación Internacional para la Paz y la Democracia en Colombia”, the “Coordinación Colombia Europa Estados Unidos, CCEEU”, and the “Plataforma Colombiana de Derechos Humanos, Democracia y Desarrollo, PCDHDD”, condemn the armed attacks against the Nasa community in the municipality of Toribio, Cauca. In particular, are repudiated
The European Parliament has committed itself to peace-building in Colombia, through the follow-up and monitoring of the implementation of the Final Agreement for the End of the Conflict and the Establishment of a Stable and Lasting Peace, and in particular the implementation of measures that incorporate a gender perspective and promote the full participation of
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.