Venezuela/Colombia/Brazil: Venezuela seeks arrest warrant for prosecutor

August 23, 2017

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro says he is seeking an international arrest warrant for the former attorney general, Luisa Ortega Diaz, who fled the country last week.

Mr Maduro said Mrs Ortega and her husband had been involved in serious crimes.

The couple face court action in Venezuela which they say is politically motivated.

Colombian media reported they are expected to seek asylum in the US.

Mrs Ortega is Venezuela’s most vocal high-profile opponent of the Maduro government.

She is a former loyalist and was for years a committed member of the governing (USPV) party.

She and her husband fled first to the Carribean island of Aruba off the coast of Venezuela and from there flew to Colombia in a private jet.

In Colombia, Preisdent Juan Manuel Santos said his country would protect her and offer her asylum if she requested it.

…

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41019758

http://www.pulse.ng/world/luisa-ortega-diaz-venezuela-ex-attorney-general-leaves-colombia-for-brazil-authorities-id7187134.html

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-colombia-idUSKCN1B221B

http://www.dw.com/en/venezuelas-fugitive-prosecutor-claims-proof-of-government-corruption/a-40210716

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/brazils-chief-prosecutor-institutional-rape-venezuela-49376967

https://panampost.com/sabrina-martin/2017/08/23/luisa-ortega-general-maduro-corruption/

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/venezuela-dissident-prosecutor-received-threats-170823153306141.html

https://www.ft.com/content/1ee831a8-8826-11e7-8bb1-5ba57d47eff7

http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/International/Maduro-veut-faire-arreter-son-opposante-Luisa-Ortega-qui-a-fui-le-Venezuela-1331399 (FRANCAIS)

http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/amerique-sud/l-ex-procureure-du-venezuela-a-trouve-refuge-au-bresil_1936994.html (FRANCAIS)

http://www.liberation.fr/direct/element/lex-procureure-du-venezuela-fait-etat-de-menaces-sur-sa-vie_69537/ (FRANCAIS)

http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/International/Venezuela-l-ex-procureure-denonce-la-mort-du-droit-et-accuse-Maduro-1332080 (FRANCAIS)

http://www.la-croix.com/Monde/Ameriques/Mandat-darret-international-bras-fer-Venezuela-2017-08-23-1200871460 (FRANCAIS)

http://www.boursorama.com/actualites/odebrecht-un-scandale-de-corruption-qui-depasse-les-frontieres-du-bresil-990cad2fea460d1bbd5df492d24411bd (FRANCAIS)

http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2017/08/22/le-venezuela-va-lancer-un-mandat-d-arret-international-contre-l-ex-procureure-ortega_5175257_3222.html (FRANCAIS)

http://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2017/08/22/exfiscal-venezolana-luisa-ortega-viajara-esta-tarde-a-panama/ (ESPANOL)

http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/venezuela/luisa-ortega-habla-en-brasil-sobre-venezuela-y-maduro-122634 (ESPANOL)

https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/mundo/luisa-ortega-diz-que-tem-provas-de-corrupcao-contra-maduro_n1022745 (PORTUGUES)

http://exame.abril.com.br/mundo/luisa-ortega-acusa-aliado-de-maduro-de-corrupcao-na-odebrecht/ (PORTUGUES)

https://www.blick.ch/news/ausland/luisa-ortega-fluechtet-weiter-venezuelas-ex-generalstaatsanwaeltin-ist-nun-in-brasilien-id7188046.html (DEUTSCH)

https://www.tvsvizzera.it/tvs/venezuela–ortega-diaz–ho-prove-corruzione-maduro/43464400 (ITALIANO)

https://www.abcnyheter.no/nyheter/2017/08/23/195326810/venezuelas-avsatte-riksadvokat-frykter-livet (NORWEGIAN)

Venezuela/Colombia/Brazil: Colombia offers asylum to Venezuelan prosecutor who criticized Maduro regime

August 21, 2017

Venezuela’s former chief prosecutor is being “protected” in Colombia and will receive asylum if she asks for it, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Monday.

Santos’ Twitter message may put to rest speculation that Luisa Ortega, who fled Venezuela with her husband on Friday, had already sought asylum in the United States.

Ortega, a one-time government ally turned critic, says she has proof that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is personally implicated in the Odebrecht construction scandal. The Brazilian company has told authorities that it paid at least $100 million in bribes for Venezuelan contracts.

…

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article168377072.html

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/colombia-offers-asylum-ousted-venezuela-prosecutor-49336732

https://www.icj.org/venezuela-lessons-of-a-crisis-written-on-the-wall/

http://www.france24.com/fr/20170821-venezuela-luisa-ortega-sous-protection-colombie-juan-manuel-santos-asile-maduro (FRANCAIS)

http://www.liberation.fr/planete/2017/08/21/l-ex-procureure-generale-du-venezuela-luisa-ortega-qui-a-fui-en-colombie-est-sous-la-protection-de-c_1591175 (FRANCAIS)

http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/amerique-sud/la-dictature-stade-supreme-du-socialisme-du-xxie-siecle_1936168.html (FRANCAIS)

http://www.rfi.fr/ameriques/20170822-venezuela-colombie-offre-asile-ex-procureure-generale-luisa-ortega-exil?ref=fb_i (FRANCAIS)

https://elpais.com/internacional/2017/08/21/colombia/1503330225_245904.html (ESPANOL)

http://www.dn.pt/mundo/interior/venezuela-ex-pgr-luisa-ortega-diaz-esta-sob-protecao-da-colombia-8719394.html (PORTUGUES)

http://www.wochenblatt.de/nachrichten/welt/Kolumbien-bietet-venezolanischer-Regierungsgegnerin-Ortega-Asyl-an;art29,465471 (DEUTSCH)

https://www.swissinfo.ch/ita/venezuela–colombia–ortega-diaz–sotto-protezione–bogot%C3%A0/43459252 (ITALIANO)

Venezuela/Colombia: Deposed Venezuelan prosecutor Luisa Ortega flees country in dramatic speedboat journey

August 19, 2017

Venezuela’s former top prosecutor Luisa Ortega arrived in Colombia on Friday after taking a dramatic boat journey from the troubled country.

Migration authorities in Bogota confirmed her arrival.

It comes after she was fired by a controversial new legislative superbody and said she feared for her life.

Univision reported that Ms Ortega fled in a speedboat to Aruba, where she caught a private plane to Bogota.

Ms Ortega broke with socialist President Nicolas Maduro in late March and became a vocal critic of his unpopular government, eventually going into hiding after the newly elected constituent assembly fired her earlier this month.

The assembly fired Ms Ortega during its first session on August 5, but she and some governments in the region have refused to accept the body’s decisions.

“This afternoon the attorney general of Venezuela Luisa Ortega Diaz arrived from Aruba in a private plane to Bogota’s airport and completed the corresponding migration process,” Colombia’s migration agency said in a statement.

She was accompanied by her husband, the legislator German Ferrer, the statement added. It was not clear whether the couple were seeking asylum in Colombia.

The 59-year-old told Reuters in an interview this month that she feared the government would “deprive me of my life.”

…

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/19/deposed-venezuelan-prosecutor-luisa-ortega-flees-country-dramatic/

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/luisa-ortega-fearing-life-flees-colombia-170819053144164.html

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/08/18/venezuelas-ousted-chief-prosecutor-luisa-ortega-diaz-arrives-in-colombia.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/venezuelas-pro-government-assembly-moves-to-take-power-from-elected-congress/2017/08/18/9c6cd0a2-8416-11e7-9e7a-20fa8d7a0db6_story.html

https://thewire.in/169157/venezuela-faces-international-criticism-new-assembly-takes-legislative-power/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisa_Ortega_D%C3%ADaz

http://www.leparisien.fr/international/venezuela-l-ex-procureure-generale-luisa-ortega-s-enfuit-en-colombie-19-08-2017-7201566.php (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisa_Ortega_D%C3%ADaz (FRANCAIS)

http://www.univision.com/noticias/america-latina/la-fiscal-general-de-venezuela-huye-a-colombia-salio-en-lancha-a-aruba-y-desde-alli-volo-a-bogota (ESPANOL)

http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/machtkampf-in-venezuela-staatsanwaeltin-ortega-flieht-vor-maduro-nach-kolumbien/20211266.html (DEUTSCH)

https://www.publico.pt/2017/08/19/mundo/noticia/temendo-pela-vida-exprocuradorageral-da-venezuela-chega-a-colombia-1782781 (PORTUGUES)

Colombia/ABA: Colombian lawyer Patricia Guerrero to receive the 2017 ABA International Human Rights Award

July 24, 2017

The American Bar Association will honor Colombian lawyer Patricia Guerrero with its 2017 ABA International Human Rights Award in recognition of her long record of defending victims of sexual violence and women who are displaced by the Colombian armed conflict. The award will be presented to Guerrero at the International Distinguished Guests Dinner on Aug.10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rockefeller Plaza Rainbow Room during the ABA Annual Meeting in New York City.

Guerrero, a feminist activist and former judge, is the founder and director of the League of Displaced Women (Liga de Mujeres Desplazadas), an independent nonprofit organization that advocates for protections for women who have been forced to flee their homes because of the country’s armed conflict.

Guerrero has fought for access to justice and the rights of displaced women and their families through aggressive political and legal advocacy, ensuring not only legal representation for victims, but also fighting for laws that protect and help them rebuild their lives. Despite often grave opposition from paramilitary forces, Guerrero is committed to aiding women impacted by the decades-long conflict.

“We honor Patricia Guerrero’s steadfast commitment to advocate for the rights of internally displaced women and children and to ensure justice for gender-based violence committed during Colombia’s civil war,” said ABA President Linda Klein. “Her achievements are particularly extraordinary given the tremendous obstacles, intimidation and threats that she and the League of Displaced Women have faced.”

The ABA International Human Rights Award was established to honor and give public recognition to an individual or an entity that has made an exceptional contribution to the advancement of human rights outside of the United States. The recipient is selected jointly by the ABA’s Center for Human Rights, the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, the Section of International Law, Section of Litigation and the Rule of Law Initiative.

…

https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2017/07/colombian_lawyerpat.html

https://nobelwomensinitiative.org/meet-patricia-guerrero-colombia/

https://www.inclusivesecurity.org/experts/patricia-guerrero/

@PatriciaGuerrero avocate colombienne qui défend droits humains et plus particulièrement droits des femmes , femme engagée, honorée par #ABA

(Dominique Attias Facebook)

Hon. Bernice B. Donald (left), Chair, ABA Center for Human Rights, with Patricia Guerrero, of Colombia, 2017 ABA International Human Rights Awardee, Rainbow Room, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY

(American Bar Association Center for Human Rights Facebook)

Colombia: Nuevas amenazas de muerte de grupo paramilitar contra integrantes de movimientos sociales en Bogotá

06/07/17

LLAMADO URGENTE – EL OBSERVATORIO

COL 004 / 0717 / OBS 077

Amenazas

El Observatorio para la Protección de los Defensores de Derechos Humanos, programa conjunto de la Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT) y de la FIDH, solicita su intervención urgente ante la siguiente situación en Colombia.

Descripción de la situación

El Observatorio ha recibido con seria preocupación información de fuentes fidedignas sobre nuevas amenazas de muerte contra integrantes de movimientos sociales, incluyendo varias personas defensoras de derechos humanos entre quienes se encuentran la Sra. Piedad Córdoba, ex congresista e integrante de Marcha Patriótica, la Sra. Mónica Duarte de la Fundación Progresar, la Sra. Dolores Mojica y el Sr. Antonio Madariaga, representantes de Viva la Ciudadanía y, en el caso de la Sra. Mojica, de la Mesa Autónoma Nacional de Organizaciones de Victimas del Distrito Capital, la Sra. Gloria Duarte del Colectivo de Abogados “José Alvear Restrepo” (CAJAR) y la Sra. Rose Hernández, lideresa local que trabaja con víctimas en Córdoba en cuestiones como la restitución de tierras.

Según la información recibida el día 22 de junio, un grupo de paramilitares autodenominado como Bloque Capital D.C. de Las Águilas Negras han enviado por correo electrónico a diferentes lideres y lideresas sociales en la capital un panfleto amenazador que llevaba como título “Muerte a las perras”, Bogotá.

Comienza diciendo que saben “donde estan ubicadas malditas perras sapas del gobierno gonorreas las vamos a matar por sapas y por andar de meditas donde no deben sapas hp luchando por los derechos de la mujer que mierda son si lo unico que son es sirvientes de nosotros aver si se van a hacer oficio de la casa malparidas (sic)”.

El Observatorio recuerda que no se trata de hechos aislados y que deberían tratarse como amenazas creíbles teniendo en cuenta el contexto de una multiplicación de ataques contra defensores y defensoras de derechos humanos en Colombia que incluye asesinatos,  amenazas, detenciones arbitrarias, uso excesivo de la fuerza por parte de los cuerpos de seguridad y casos de criminalización, como lo han constatado sendas misiones de la FIDH así como de la OMCT (en el marco de la Coalición Colombiana Contra la Tortura de la que forma parte) en mayo y principios de julio de este año, respectivamente.

…

http://www.omct.org/es/human-rights-defenders/urgent-interventions/colombia/2017/07/d24432/

(Piedad Córdoba, of Marcha Patriótica, Mónica Duarte of Fundación Progresar Cúcuta – Página Oficial, Dolores Mojica and Antonio Madariaga, of Viva la Ciudadania, Ms. Mojica of the Mesa Autónoma Nacional de Organizaciones de Victimas del Distrito Capital, lawyer Gloria Duarte of Colectivo de Abogados “José Alvear Restrepo” (CAJAR) and Rose Hernández, a local leader in Córdoba working on land rights, have been threatened via email by a paramilitary group.)

Lawyers for Lawyers: Join us via LIVESTREAM ‘The Voice of Rights’ about Lawyers and Freedom of Expression Friday May 19th

May 17, 2017

After the seminar ’The Voice of Rights, about lawyers and freedom of expression’* on Friday May 19th, the Lawyers for Lawyers Award 2017 will be presented to Thai human rights lawyer Sirikan Charoensiri. The event will take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

If you can’t attend this event in person, you can watch it online via our free LIVESTREAM!  

You’ll be able to watch and listen to speakers from Colombia, Greece and Turkey, the panel discussions and of course the most important part: the Award Ceremony.

From 2:00 PM until 2:45 PM CEST we will livestream PART I with the opening and the introductions.

Hereafter, during the break-out sessions, we will pause the livestream.

We will continue the broadcast with PART II from 3:45 PM until 5:30 PM CEST with a plenary discussion and the Award Ceremony.

…

http://www.advocatenvooradvocaten.nl/?wpmlmethod=newsletter&id=155&mailinglist_id=2&subscriber_id=1517&authkey=81c8727c62e800be708dbf37c4695dff

http://www.bd.nl/tilburg/tijdelijk-in-tilburg-wonende-thaise-advocate-krijgt-prijs-voor-moedig-werk~a03ee9d3/ (NEDERLANDS)

This afternoon, Sirikan Charoensiri received the 2017 L4L Award from 2015 recipient Jorge Molano

The latest two recipients of the L4L Award

(Lawyers for Lawyers Facebook)

Colombia: The Law Society of Upper Canada expresses grave concern about the murder of lawyer Jhon Fredy Concha Valbuena and the attempted murder of lawyer Jorge Enrique Belalcázar Gutierrez in Colombia

May 10, 2017

The Law Society of Upper Canada expresses grave concern about the murder of lawyer Jhon Fredy Concha Valbuena and the attempted murder of lawyer Jorge Enrique Belalcázar Gutierrez in Colombia.

It has come to the Law Society’s attention that on January 24, 2017, criminal lawyer Jhon Fredy Concha Valbuena was shot dead by sicarios (hired assassins) outside his home in the city of Cali. Reports indicate that at the time of his death, Jhon Fredy Concha Valbuena was representing three individuals accused of kidnapping twelve congressmen (eleven of whom later died) in 2002. The accused are members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (“FARC”), Colombia’s largest rebel group. Additionally, just prior to his death, Jhon Fredy Concha Valbuena had successfully defended and secured the freedom of a group of people accused of illegal mining in the Cauca River.

On February 1, 2017, criminal lawyer Jorge Enrique Belalcázar Gutierrez was shot in the shoulder by a sicario while driving his vehicle in the San Nicolás neighbourhood of the city of Cali. According to reports, Jorge Enrique Belalcázar Gutierrez had previously been denied protection by Colombia’s National Protection Unit.

The Law Society of Upper Canada is deeply concerned about the mounting violence against lawyers in Colombia and urges the Government of Colombia to comply with Colombia’s obligations under international human rights laws, including the United Nations’ Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.

…

http://www.lsuc.on.ca/newsarchives.aspx?id=2147485737&cid=2147503792&langtype=1033

http://www.lsuc.on.ca/newsarchives.aspx?id=2147485737&cid=2147503792&langtype=1036 (FRANCAIS)