Today a national and international campaign for the protection of Colombia’s human rights defenders will be launched in Bogotá. In Colombia, being a human rights defender is a dangerous, often deadly job and the situation is only getting worse. Those working on issues ranging from displacement to the rights of women, Afro-Colombians, the indigenous and other victims of the armed conflict are threatened, attacked, stigmatized, and put under illegal surveillance on a daily basis. In response to this situation over 200 organizations across the globe, including CRLN, have joined the United States Office on Colombia to help develop an international campaign for the Right to Defend Human Rights.
The Campaign will be launched today by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, in Bogotá. Click “Read More” for more details.
The Campaign has five policy goals it will be urging the Colombian government to enact over the next year. These are:
End impunity for violations against human rights defenders
End the misuse of state intelligence
End systematic stigmatization
End unfounded criminal proceedings
Structurally improve the protection programs for people at risk
To read more about the Campaign, it’s declaration and recommendations please go to
http://www.usofficeoncolombia.com/
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