Basic elements of computer security for defenders
The current situation of insecurity and the computer-related risks that people who are conducting activities in defence of human rights experience daily have increased during the crisis caused by COVID-19. Social isolation and mobility-restricting measures have led us to carry out most of our activities online, in many cases from our own homes and with […]
The Importance of the IACHR Report on the Right to Social Protest in Colombia
A few days ago, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published a report with recommendations on the human rights situation in Colombia in the context of the social protests that began on April 28. In this note, we highlight the main conclusions and explain the obligation of Colombia’s authorities to comply with the recommendations […]
Uprooted Yet Undeterred
Human rights defenders in Colombia continue to stand up for themselves and their communities regardless of forced displacement Dozens of refugees and internally displaced people are human rights defenders (HRDs), but they are not always effectively recognized as such. In this article, we tell some stories about these defenders in Colombia, the challenges their communities […]
Guarantees for the Exercise of the Right of Indigenous Peoples to Protest in Colombia
Bogota, May 21, 2021 – Protection International (PI) notes with concern that the Colombian government has failed to ensure the necessary guarantees for the exercise of the right to free association, freedom of expression, and peaceful protest. As it stands, Colombia’s official position does not correspond to the State obligations to respect, guarantee, and protect […]
Colombia: 650 Civil Society Organizations Call for Exhaustive Investigations of Repression of Protests and Call on the IACHR to Act
Colombia, 7 May 2021 The undersigned organizations condemn the excessive use of force by agents of the Colombian security forces in response to the protests that began on April 28 across the country. We call on Colombia to immediately cease the arbitrary and excessive use of force to avoid additional human rights violations against the […]
The Colombian State must Prevent Aggressions Against Indigenous Communities of the CRIC and other Participants of the Protests
The international NGOs subscribing to this statement express their concern for the acts of armed violence against the communities of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca – CRIC, who participated in the protests that took place yesterday in the city of Cali. On repeated occasions, armed men have fired weapons from pick-up trucks against members […]
Civil Society Organisations Urge the Colombian Government to Guarantee the Right to Peaceful Public Assembly and Demonstration
International civil society organisations urge the Colombian government to guarantee the right to peaceful public assembly and demonstration, which is enshrined in the Political Constitution of Colombia, and to protect the lives of those who exercise it [Bogotá, 3 May 2021] The peaceful marches that have been carried out by Colombian citizens in many cities […]
What do we mean by collective protection?
What do we mean by collective protection and what are its main elements? In the infographic below, we share the key concepts that are needed to better understand collective protection. What is it? Who constitutes a collective of human rights defenders? What are their approaches? And what are some examples within the Colombian context? Protection […]
The Right to Defend Human Rights During COVID-19
Within the framework of the social, economic and public health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic, Protection International Colombia created the following guidebook aimed at human rights defenders and their communities within the country. This guide contains relevant information and basic recommendations for addressing the risks faced by human rights defenders and communities, which are intensified […]
Research Reveals Systematic Patterns in the Murder of Human Rights Defenders in Colombia
[31 March 2021] The Interchurch Commission for Justice and Peace, the organizations Fundación Forjando Futuros and Somos Defensores, the Institute of Studies for Development and Peace (Indepaz), and the Colombian Commission of Jurists—with the support of Protection International, OXFAM and DIAKONIA—presented the preliminary finding of research that points to the existence of systematic patterns in […]