Brazil/Colombia/Guatemala/Honduras/ Mexico/The Philippines: Stop the Killings

June 21, 2018

“Stop the Killings” analyzes the root causes of the killing of HRDs in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the Philippines.

The report is based on original research by Comitê Brasileiro de Defensoras e Defensores de Direitos Humanos – CBDDH, (Brazil), Programa Somos Defensores (Colombia), UDEFEGUA (Guatemala), ACI-Participa (Honduras), Comité Cerezo (Mexico) and iDEFEND, Karapatan and Pahra (Philippines).

With a forward from United Natiosn Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders Michel Forst and introduction by Front Line Defenders Exective Director Andrew Anderson, “Stop the Killings” is a vital resource for understanding the current and alarming increase of killings of human rights defenders globally.

…

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/stop-killings

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/violation/killing

https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/front-line-defenders-new-report-says-majority-of-human-rights-defenders-killings-in-2017-were-related-to-mega-projects-in-extractive-industry

https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/spike-in-murder-rate-of-human-rights-defenders-472131.html

Advertisements

Colombia/UK: Colombian human rights lawyer Luis Guillermo Perez visits the UK

May 27, 2018

In April 2018 Colombian human rights lawyer Luis Guillermo Pérez visited Europe in order to submit evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the killings on human rights defenders in Colombia. 2017, the first full year since the signing of the peace agreement in Colombia, was the deadliest on record for human rights defenders, with 121 killed, compared with 60 killings in 2016. The communication argues that the ICC should open an investigation because the Colombian government is failing to investigate the crimes properly and constitute a crime against humanity. In London Luis Guillermo was able to present the ICC communication to different sectors (including members of the Alliance for lawyers at Risk, FCO officials and parliamentarians) and to raise awareness of the situation for human rights defenders in Colombia.

“Colombia is one of the most dangerous countries for human rights defenders. Violent repression of trade unionists, land rights and environmental activists, community leaders,  lawyers, LGBTI activists, journalists and others who stand up for rights is widespread and systematic.” – ICC Dossier from CAJAR and The ECCHR.

Luis Guillermo Pérez Casas is a lawyer with the Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo (CAJAR), based in Bogotá. For over 30 years, the work of CAJAR’s lawyers has resulted in landmark decisions that have improved access to justice for many victims of the country’s long-running conflict. They have faced many serious threats for this work, including the assassination of their founder Eduardo Umaña Mendoza and being publically identified as “military targets” by death squads. PBI has accompanied the collective since 1995; monitoring the security situation of the lawyers and thanks to PBI’s international networks, members of CCAJAR have been able to raise their security concerns in front of a wide range of stakeholders.

…

https://peacebrigades.org.uk/news/2018-05-21/colombian-human-rights-lawyer-luis-guillermo-perez-visits-uk

https://www.lrwc.org/colombia-end-violence-against-human-rights-defenders-and-social-leaders-joint-letter/

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/may/01/2017-deadliest-year-on-record-colombian-human-rights-defenders

https://peacebrigades.org.uk/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu%C3%ADs_Guillermo_Per%C3%A9z

https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/judicial/piden-la-cpi-investigar-crimenes-de-defensores-de-derechos-humanos-articulo-754791 (ESPANOL)

https://www.colectivodeabogados.org/ (ESPANOL)

Colombia: Interview with lawyer Rommel Durán

April 9, 2018

Colombian human rights lawyer Rommel Durán: “A ‘social genocide’ is taking place in my country”

The Colombian human rights lawyer Rommel Durán Castellanos recently spent several days in England and the Netherlands to rally support for his colleagues, who are exposed to threats and violence. Another aim of his trip was to prepare for the international observation mission ‘Caravana Internacional de Juristas’, which will visit Colombia in August for the fifth time. The biennial delegation will consist of a large group of lawyers, judges and public prosecutors from more than ten countries. The ‘Caravana’ is being organized from London, in cooperation with Colombian lawyers. As in previous years, Lawyers for Lawyers will also be represented in the delegation. We spoke with Rommel about the difficult position of many lawyers in Colombia.

Rommel is regularly subject to intimidation and threats and has been arbitrarily detained twice. He seems to speak about this almost light-heartedly but then falls silent: his brother was murdered in 2016. Despite that, human rights lawyer Rommel Durán continues to fight for justice in Colombia.

…

http://www.advocatenvooradvocaten.nl/13267/nederlands-colombia-interview-met-advocaat-rommel-duran/

https://www.opendemocracy.net/openjustice/emily-soothill/human-rights-protection-at-home-and-abroad-lessons-to-be-learned-from-c-0

Colombia: Soraya Gutiérrez from CAJAR received further threats and harassment

October 2, 2017

Caravana and other organisations part of the International Caravana of Jurist concerned to hear about aggressions towards human rights lawyer Soraya Gutierrez Arguello.

The Colombian Caravana UK Lawyers Group and other  are very concerned to hear of further threats and harassment towards human rights lawyer Soraya Gutierrez Arguello, member of José Alvear Restrepo lawyers collective (CAJAR). In 2005 Soraya received a dismembered doll painted in red to her house as a message of what repercussions her daughter could face. Again in July this year, her husband found another doll in the car registered in Soraya’s name, after attending a public hearing on security and mobility in Bolívar city.

Read the letter in English here and Spanish here

http://www.colombiancaravana.org.uk/soraya-gutierrez-cajar-received-threats-harassment/

http://www.colombiancaravana.org.uk/

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/soraya-gutierrez-arguello

http://www.colombiancaravana.org.uk/caravana-five-international-organizations-concerned-attack-cucuta-premises-luis-carlos-perez-lawyers-collective/

Colombia: Caravana Lawyers Group Calls Upon Colombia to Stop and Remedy Attacks on Members of the Corporación Colectivo de Abogados Luis Carlos Perez and other human rights defenders (HRDs) | Joint Letter

September 12, 2017

LRWC, la Fundación de la Abogacía Española, Lawyers for Lawyers, the Colombian Caravana UK Lawyers Group, Colombia Caravana de Juristas the Netherlandsand the Colombian Caravana Irish Lawyers’ Group joined to call on Colombia to stop and remedy attacks on members of the Corporación Colectivo de Abogados Luis Carlos Perez and other human rights defenders (HRDs), to provide effective protection measures to HRDs in jeopardy and to prevent further attacks.

…

http://www.lrwc.org/colombia-caravana-lawyers-group-calls-upon-colombia-to-stop-and-remedy-attacks-on-members-of-the-corporacion-colectivo-de-abogados-luis-carlos-perez-and-other-human-rights-defenders-hrds-joint-le/

http://ccalcp.org/ (ESPANOL)

Colombia: 16 años del homicidio del profesor Jorge Freytter Romero

29/08/17

Este 28 de Agosto de 2017 se conmemoran 16 años del homicidio de Jorge Adolfo Freytter Romero, Abogado egresado de la facultad de Derecho y Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad del Atlántico. Desde muy joven, Jorge Freytter creyó en la defensa de los derechos humanos, por ello se unió a las luchas estudiantiles donde las presidió en los años 70.

 

Luego entró a ser parte de la Asociación de Profesores Universitarios, ASPU. Un líder social dedicado a la defensa del derecho a la educación pública, el derecho al trabajo y los derechos humanos.

Al momento de su asesinato era profesor pensionado de la Universidad del Atlántico y miembro de la asociación de Jubilados de la institución, ASOJUA.

El día de los hechos, cerca de las doce y treinta de la tarde, pocos momentos después de que se bajara de un vehículo de transporte público, el profesor Jorge Freytter Romero fue privado de la libertad e introducido en un vehículo con destino incierto. De acuerdo con el relato de sus familiares y testigos, la víctima se dirigía a su casa ubicada en el barrio San Isidro de Barranquilla.

…

https://www.colectivodeabogados.org/?16-anos-del-homicidio-del-profesor-Jorge-Freytter-Romero

http://notimundo2.blogspot.fr/2015/08/jorge-adolfo-freytter-abogado-profesor.html

http://www.hijosbogota.org/index.php/recordar-con-el-corazon/galeria-de-la-memoria/item/61-jorge-adolfo-freytter-romero

http://pachakuti.org/textos/campanas/paracos/caso-freytter.html

http://www.ascjafr.org/

Venezuela/Colombia: Le parcours de Luisa Ortega, procureure générale au Venezuela contrainte à l’exil

le 29 août, 2017

Le 5 août, le couperet tombe: Luisa Ortega est écartée de ses fonctions de procureure générale au Venezuela, après des semaines passées à dénoncer la radicalisation du président socialiste Nicolas Maduro.

Son éviction a été décidée par la toute nouvelle et toute puissante Assemblée constituante, voulue par le président Maduro mais décriée par une grande partie de la communauté internationale.

– La perte des illusions –

Chaviste (du nom du défunt Hugo Chavez, président de 1999 à 2013) de la première heure, Luisa Ortega, 59 ans, perd toutes ses illusions quand une violente crise politique commence à enflammer le pays début avril.

Cette avocate de formation, connue pour sa force de caractère, critique tour-à-tour la violence des forces de l’ordre dans les manifestations, le jugement de civils devant des tribunaux militaires ou encore la légitimité de la Constituante, élue dans le sang fin juillet.

«C’est une dictature!», dénonce-t-elle face aux journalistes.

…

http://www.liberation.fr/planete/2017/08/29/le-parcours-de-luisa-ortega-procureure-generale-au-venezuela-contrainte-a-l-exil_1592603

http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/monde/story/La-Constituante-accuse-des-opposants-de-trahison-23838199

http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2017/08/30/au-venezuela-un-rapport-de-l-onu-accable-le-regime-de-maduro_5178603_3222.html?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1504102681

http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2017/08/31/escalade-de-la-repression-au-venezuela_5178810_3222.html?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1504161485

http://www.entornointeligente.com/articulo/22666/Fiscal-Luisa-Ortega-se-reuni (ESPANOL)

http://elperiodicodemexico.com/nota.php?id=865557 (ESPANOL)

http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/politica/ortega-diaz-reunio-con-presidente-corte-interamericana_201086 (ESPANOL)

http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/internacionales/438430-farc-santos-deberia-promover-dialogo-venezuela/ (ESPANOL)

http://www.finanzas.com/noticias-001/todos/20170830/venezuela-comienza-perseguir-decreto-3679277.html (ESPANOL)

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/venezuelas-ousted-prosecutor-says-the-government-is-trying-to-kill-her-36079996.html (ENGLISH)

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22007&LangID=E (ENGLISH)

http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2017-08/luisa-ortega-diaz-kolumbien-nicolas-maduro-vorwurf (DEUTSCH)