Colombian activists still face killings and
torture, despite progress - UN expert
Killings, torture, threats and
arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders
reportedly by both guerrillas and law officers
persist in Colombia, despite the Government’s
recent efforts to improve their lot, a United
Nations expert said today.
"Much remains to be done to
ensure a safe and conducive environment for
human rights defenders," Special Rapporteur on
the situation of human rights defenders Margaret
Sekaggya said in a press release in Bogotá, the
capital, at the end of a 12-day mission to the
country, which has been wracked by violence
between the Government, rebels, paramilitary
groups and criminal gangs for over four decades.
Human rights activists,
including journalists, trade unionists,
magistrates, lawyers, students, women defenders,
and indigenous and Afro-Colombian leaders "have
been killed, tortured, ill-treated, disappeared,
threatened, arbitrarily arrested and detained,
judicially harassed, under surveillance,
forcibly displaced, forced into exile, or their
offices have been raided and their files stolen,
because of their legitimate work in upholding
human rights and fundamental freedoms," she
added.
She noted that some violations
are allegedly to be attributed to guerrillas,
new illegal armed groups and paramilitary groups
which human rights defenders say have not been
dismantled. However, according to several
sources, law enforcement authorities have
committed violations or have shown complaisance
with violations committed by private actors
against defenders, she said.
Ms. Sekaggya, who serves in an
unpaid independent capacity and reports to the
Human Rights Council in Geneva, voiced
particular concern at widespread threats from
unknown authors against human rights defenders
and their families, including Supreme Court
judges, often in pamphlets, obituaries, emails,
phone calls and text messages sent to them.
As a prime reason for the
insecurity of human rights defenders, she cited
their systematic stigmatization by Government
officials as being or colluding with
"terrorists" or "guerrillas." She called for
continued investigation by the Inspector
General’s Office of statements by public
officials which are greatly harmful to the work
of rights defenders.
Noting the impunity for
violations, she urged the Attorney General’s
Office to investigate more thoroughly and
prosecute those responsible. She also voiced
concern at the surveillance and wiretapping of
national and international rights defenders and
the arbitrary arrests and sometimes massive
detention of rights defenders and the unfounded
criminal proceedings brought against them.
But Ms. Sekaggya commended the
Government for the significant improvement in
the overall security situation since 2002 and
for designing policies and strategies for the
protection of human rights defenders, thanking
it for "its exemplary cooperation" throughout
the mission.
She voiced "special
satisfaction" that President Álvaro Uribe stated
publicly after meeting her that the defense of
human rights "is a necessary and legitimate
action for democracy in a country like Colombia
which is proud to be completely open to
international scrutiny in this field."
