International Organizations Alert over Violence and Attacks in the Context of Upcoming Elections
[Brussels/Bogotá], 2 February 2022.– Oidhaco and the signatory organizations below wish to express our serious concerns about the deterioration of the security situation in Colombian regions, and the increase in attacks against social leaders and political candidates in the pre-electoral period. So far in 2022, at least thirteen social leaders have been assassinated in the […]
Maximum Alert – Ongoing Murder of the Indigenous Community in Cauca, Colombia
[Bogotá, Colombia] 25 January 2022 – With profound concern and pain, we have received information about the armed attack against the Nasa Indigenous community in Cauca, Colombia, during which Albeiro Camayo Güeito—former Regional Coordinator of the Indigenous Guard—was murdered. The incidents appear to have been retaliation after the expulsion of the Jaime Martínez armed Columna […]
International Civil Society Organizations on Alert for the Humanitarian Situation and the Violation of Human Rights in Arauca, Colombia
[Bogota, Colombia] 24 January 2022 – The international civil society organizations signed on to this statement are alerting to the serious humanitarian and human rights crisis affecting the civilians of Arauca in Colombia. The crisis has exacerbated in recent days, but social organizations have been denouncing the situation in the region for several years now. […]
[Spanish] Tejiendo saberes por la defensa de nuestros derechos
Colombia es uno de los países donde más se vulneran los derechos de las mujeres y de las personas defensoras de los derechos humanos: asesinatos, desapariciones forzadas, amenazas, agresiones sexuales contra las mujeres, estigmatización, criminalización, abuso policial y cooptación de liderazgos, son solo algunas de las violaciones que día a día viven en el país. […]
WHRDs Day 2021: Interview with Aída Pesquera
29 November & 10 December 2021 Interview with Aída Pesquera Country Representative for PI in Colombia and Brazil On the occasion of International Women Human Rights Defenders Day (29 November) and Human Rights Day (10 December) we asked some of the women human rights defenders working for PI about their experiences, passions and visions for […]
Support from the International Community is Crucial for the Peace Agreement in Colombia
[Brussels] 10 November 2021 The organizations that have signed this press release celebrate the fact that 24 November 2021 marks the fifth anniversary of the Peace Agreement between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP), which put an end to an internal armed conflict that left more than […]
Increased Risk to Human Rights Defenders and the Humanitarian Crisis in Chocó
Oidhaco and the Undersigned Organisations Express Concern about the Increased Risk to Human Rights Defenders and the Humanitarian Crisis in Chocó Brussels, 25 October 2021. The undersigned organisations alert the international community to the escalating armed conflict, killings and mass displacements currently taking place in the region of Chocó, Colombia: a geo-strategic region bordering Panama […]
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 […]
Black women and girls in Brazil: “we are on our own”
Photo by: Fernando Frazão / Agência Brasil Every July 25th, since 1992, the International Day of the Latin American and Caribbean Black Women is celebrated, to highlight the struggle and resistance of black women, as well as their achievements concerning rights and citizenship. The day also aims to draw attention to the lack of public […]
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 […]