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News > Colombia

UN Observer to Present Report on Colombia's Human Rights

  • UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forst during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia

    UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forst during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia | Photo: efe

Published 4 March 2020
Opinion

The declarations of the international observer provoked diverse reactions in Colombia.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur, Michel Forst, presented his report on Wednesday regarding the human rights issues in Colombia.

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The international organization's representative, who visited the South American nation in the late months of 2018 after a governmental invitation, highlighted the impunity on social leaders' assassinations,  the lack of administrative preventive measures against the crimes.

Forst also left a guide of possible actions to avert felonies against social leaders. This information concurs with the one offered by High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet a week ago. 

These declarations of the international observer provoked diverse reactions in Colombia.  Ivan Duque’s administration expressed its discontent and rejection of the report.

Ernesto Macías, Democratic Center party senator called for the closure of the human rights office in the country, considering that "it has become a 'political haven', detracting from the work of the aforementioned institution.

On their side, community representatives and human rights advocates supported the report with demonstrations and an open letter with more than a thousand signatures.​​​​​​​

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For popular leaders, these recommendations of the UN are “a valuable and permanent instrument for national and international incidence, and a useful document in international sceneries for a better understanding of our reality.”

Rendering with the document, there´s only 11% of solved cases, in contrast with the 89% of crimes with no final determination of culpability. Even so, 54 % of the cases are moving forward on their investigations. According to Forst, “Colombia is the country with the highest rate of assassinations for human rights defenders.”

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