On 13 November 2020, the Commission for the Clarification of the Truth (Truth Commission) held an event entitled “El Retorno de Nuestras Voces” (The Return of Our Voices) for the truth and the recognition of the rights of victims living in exile and those who have returned. The Truth Commission a few years ago began...
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Historic moment as Truth Commission hears from Victims in Exile
On 13 November 2020, the Truth Commission heard the testimonies of victims of the Colombian Conflict living in exile “Colombia fuera de Colombia.” This was the first time that any Truth Commission had listened to the voices and heard the stories of victims living in exile; forced out of their countries by violence and in...
International Community must support the Colombian National Commission on Security Guarantees if Neo-paramilitary Groups are to be Dismantled
2020 is proving to be one of the worst year’s on record for the killings of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) with the UN reporting that it is following up on 91 reported killings of defenders in the first eight months of 2020 (to date 47 have been verified and 44 are in the process of...
Lack Colombian Government Commitment to Security for Former Combatants?
Colombian Interior Minister Alicia Arango Olmos failed to attend the CSIVI meeting called to address the deteriorating security situation for former combatants. On 28 July 2020, called a meeting of the Commission for the Follow-up, Promotion and Verification of the Implementation of the Final Agreement (CSIVI) to address the lack of implementation of adequate security...
Letter to President Ivan Duque: COVID-19 and the Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis
ABColombia wrote the following letter to President Ivan Duque on 31 March 2020. You will find a copy of the letter in PDF in English and spanish if you click on the buttons above. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a major global impact. Whilst the impacts vary from country to country, all governments are having...
In the International Women’s Day ABColombia say #IStandWith Emilse Paz
“Our dream is the demilitarization of our territories, so they are peace territories, as they were years ago. There we can exercise our self-determination as Indigenous peoples, and as Indigenous women… It is our dream as peace builders, that all of us together can work towards a sustainable and lasting peace with no violence. The...
Side event at the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva
Human Rights Defenders Report of the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur to Colombia Geneva, 6 March 2020 Palace of the Nations, Room XXVII, 14.30h – 15:30h Organisers of the side event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva: Oidhaco, CCEEU, Alianza, Plataforma DESC, Colombian Commission of Jurists, ABColombia, PBI, Business and Human Rights...
International Civil Society Organisations in Alert for Assassinated Social Leaders and Worsening Humanitarian Crisis in Colombia
As International Organisation we express our profound concern regarding the severe deterioration of the armed conflict in Colombia, which has already in 2020, taken the lives of 23 people, including four women and two ex-combatants in the process of reincorporation. This serious humanitarian situation is putting the sustainability of the Colombian peace process in jeopardy....
Guardians of the River Atrato Visit Scotland
In October the Guardians of the River Atrato visited Scotland and met with Minister Christina McKelvie of the Scottish Parliament. On 10 December Human Rights Day Minister McKelvie in a Speech on Human Rights Defenders Referred to their important work with a special reference to the inspirational Guardians of the Atrato river in Chocó. On...
What are the grievances behind the National Strike?
In the lead up to the National Strick (Paro Nacional) over 500 organisations which form part of La Alianza, the Coordination Colombia, Europe, United States (CCEEU), the Colombian Platform for Human Rights, Democracy and Development and the Rural, Ethnic and Popular Agrarian Summit explained what they saw as the key reasons for the National Strike....