The scandal of illegal intelligence activities by the DAS lead to its elimination and to the reform of Law on intelligence. This document presents an analysis of the new Law and of the measures adopted. Almost all former DAS employees were transferred to other State institutions – mainly the Attorney General’s Office, the police force
This document offers information and puts forward recommendations about the situation in Colombia, in relation to the Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR).
More than 130 organizations and networks from Europe, the United States, and Latin America express their support to the Inter-Church Commission of Justice and Peace after new attacks against the organization and its members. The signatories to this statement would like to reaffirm our support for the human rights defenders of the Inter-Church Commission of
In the month of January 2013 alone, according to the Institute of Legal Medicine, 474 additional cases of disappearance were reported. Of these, many could be enforced disappearances. Document of analysis and recommendations on this issue. In its November 2012 report, the Office of the ICC Prosecutor determined that “there is a reasonable basis to
“The networks in Brussels reiterate their call for a change of direction towards an equitable integration of peoples, and the emergence of a global financial architecture that protects the rights of citizens” Brussels, 28 January 2013. The Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC), the European Union
Document of analysis in which the current situation of land, a central issue within the conflict, is described. It presents issues such as land concentration; land restitution policy; and current policy on development and trade. Colombia is a country with a high level of land concentration, which is under-used for agricultural purposes. This concentration is due
This paper aims to describe the expressions and trends in criminalization in Latin America, and to make recommendations to the EU and the United Nations on the basis of examples from emblematic cases in Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and Colombia. The use of the Law and the administration of justice for the benefit of groups
Letter to the protagonists of the peace talks in Havana insists on the importance of civil society participation and call for the reform to military jurisdiction to be withdrawn. Brussels, 18 December 2012. 20 Members of the European Parliament have sent a letter today to the Colombian government and the FARC in which they “warmly
According to studies by the London School of Economics “the two Agreementslack mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing Human Rights” The European Parliament has prioritised trade over human rights and sustainable development today in a vote that brings into force two agreements between the European Union and Central America, and Colombia and Peru. The agreements will
After more than 26 months in prison awaiting sentence, the renowned human rights defender David Ravelo Crespo has been sentenced to more than 18 years in prison on charges of aggravated homicide. Today, on International Human Rights Day, as International NGOs and networks we would like to express our grave concerns regarding a series 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.