This article is republished with the kind permission of JusticeInfo.net and Andrés Bermúdez Liévano (journalist). For four hours on the afternoon of September 18th, and one more the following morning, retired Colonel Hernán Mejía Gutiérrez sat silently not far from the man who, two decades ago, was his number two in the ‘La Popa’ No. 2...
ABColombia remains gravely concerned about the situation of human rights defenders (HRDs) in Colombia. According to INDEPAZ, 116 HRDs and community leaders were killed in the first eight months of 2024. Global Witness reported that Colombia had the highest number of land and environmental defenders killed worldwide in 2023– with a record 79 killed in...
27 August 2024 On 5 August 2024, Presidential Resolution 279/24 was publicised, whereby members representing the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia/Clan del Golfo (hereinafter both groups will be referred to using the abbreviation AGC)[i], are recognised as negotiators in the “Social-Legal Dialogue Space” and arrest warrants are lifted. However, the legal framework under which this criminal...
Despite the ongoing peace talks in Colombia with a variety of armed groups, and the increased efforts by the Gustavo Petro Government to implement the 2016 Peace Accord, armed violence, particularly in the border regions, is increasing. The civilian population continues to bear the brunt of the war and its humanitarian consequences. At present there...
According to the most recent Colombian Census, carried out in 2018, the country’s Indigenous population numbers around 1,905,617 individuals belonging to 115 different communities. Despite Colombia’s Indigenous Peoples comprising only 3.9% of the total population, they are subjected to disproportionate violations of their human rights by illegal armed groups and large multinational corporations (MNCs). Environmental...
A former Colombian intelligence soldier has declared before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) that several state crimes occurred in military facilities. On 24 June 2024, W Radio revealed that a former military intelligence officer, Sergeant José Leonairo Dorado, in his declaration before the JEP outlined that several state crimes allegedly occurred in the Escuela...
Disappearance is one of the most horrendous crimes against humanity. Families live in hope, despite the odds that their loved one is still alive. Many also continue living in dangerous situations, refusing to move away from their homes for fear that their loved ones may one day return and not know where to find them....
Despite global awareness and widespread condemnation, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains a pervasive issue around the world today.[i] In Colombia, despite the 2016 Peace Accord, this violence persists against women and girls, and to a lesser extent against men and the LGBTQI+ community. In 2008, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 1820, which recognised that...
On World Environment Day, 5 June 2024, ABColombia would like to draw attention to the importance of making peace with the land by reviving water sources like rivers for both the environment and people worldwide. The theme for this year’s day of action is land restoration, halting desertification and building drought resilience, fitting for Colombia....
International Civil Society Organisations signatories of this statement issue an urgent alert regarding worrying situation facing communities in Sur de Bolivar. Social, regional, and national social organisations, funds, programmes and international protections organisations in Colombia, as well as the international NGOs working in Colombia, emphatically reject the assassination of Narciso Beleño, which occurred in Santa...
