Recent weeks have been marked by assassinations and forced disappearances of people struggling for peace and respect for human rights. The document presents the situation on the bases of different cases and includes recommendations. In late March we reported on the worsening of attacks against human rights defenders in Colombia . Unfortunately, since March this
In recent weeks, activists and defenders have been murdered and disappeared; 13 defenders have been killed over the past 3 months. Oidhaco calls on the EU to follow the example of the UK and make public its concern. In recent weeks, enforced disappearances, the killing of trade unionists, leaders claiming land, and human rights defenders,
In five years at least 71 leaders claiming land restitution have been killed. Colombia is the country with the highest number of displaced persons in the world. Five and a half million people have been driven from their lands. April 17 marks the International Day of Peasant Struggle. In Colombia the rural population is faced
Paper on the expansion of palm oil & sugar cane production and free trade agreements between the EU, Colombia, Peru and Central America. By the networks Aprodev, Alop, Cifca, Oidhaco and Grupo Sur, with the support of Oxfam Solidarité. At the same time as Olivier de Schutter, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to
To mark the National Day of victims of the conflict in Colombia, held today for the first time, we make an appeal to the European Union and the international community to contribute to the opening of peace talks in Colombia. There are millions of victims in Colombia, including those killed, displaced, disappeared, injured by landmines,
Over the last days and weeks, attacks and harassment against them have been particularly serious. Oidhaco sent data and some cases to the European authorities and request them to take action. According to a recent report of the Somos Defensores Programme, in the year 2011, 239 human rights defenders suffered attacks, 49 of which were
During the event “Latin America: Natural Resources and Trade Agreements” of March 22, Members of the European Parliament and civil society representatives express their concern for possible adverse impacts of these Agreements. The civil society networks ALOP, CIFCA, Grupo Sur and OIDHACO, along with other Belgian and European organisations and Members of the European Parliament,
Analysis on the situation in Colombia on the occasion of the hearing of the Human Rights Sub-Committee of the European Parliament. It deals with, among others, the persistent violations of IHL, impunity and attacks against human rights defenders. In the face of the lack of guarantees for the fulfilment of human rights in Colombia, continued
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Oidhaco calls upon the EU to show responsibility towards women victims of war in Colombia. Colombian women have become one of the most threatened and neglected groups in the Colombian conflict Rape has been used by the armed actors in the conflict as a weapon of war. Both
Document redacted on the occasion of the hearing of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) of the European Parliament on the EU-Colombia-Peru Multiparty Agreement on 29 February 2012. The document presents the situation with respect to the following topics: Poverty and inequality, Labour rights and violence against trade unions, Environment, Right to food, Lands, Indigenous,
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.