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The National Center for Historical Memory recorded 80,582 forcibly disappeared people between 1958 and 2020 in this South American country.
The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) on Monday will examine a report by the Colombian government while also addressing complaints from different social and human rights groups over the matter.
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It is the second time that Colombia attends CED hearings, after presenting its first report in 2016. Relatives of forced disappeared victims condemn that the Colombian state has done little to date to reduce such crimes while claiming that these acts have significantly increased.
The National Center for Historical Memory recorded 80,582 forcibly disappeared people between 1958 and 2020. Around 85 percent of them were men.
The Enforced Disappearance Work Table and the National Movement of State Crimes' Victims are among the civil society groups raising several accusations. These organizations noted that forced disappearance affects social leaders, human rights defenders, political leaders, and other population groups.
According to the HRD Memorial data gathering & analysis, more than 331 human rights defenders were killed in 2020, with at least 53% of these killings taking place in #Colombia.
— HRD Memorial (@HRD_Memorial) April 19, 2021
You can hear Juan Pappier from @hrw speak about the specific case of #Colombia here. https://t.co/loEZpyD0M1
Human rights activists also voiced concerns over 376 cases of foreigners who had disappeared in Colombia in the last two years, 216 of whom were Venezuelans.
"Norte de Santander, Nariño, and Antioquia are departments controlled by paramilitary groups in which the government has no prevention measures and does not investigate the cases," activist Adriana Arboleda said.
The CED will evaluate compliance with the International Convention on Enforced Disappearances and reparation mechanisms for the victims.
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