Sarah Smith, Law Society human rights policy adviser, Sara Chandler, director of Caravana and Law Society Council member, and two other Law Society council members, have travelled to one of the most dangerous parts of Colombia to highlight the plight of lawyers in the country and promote the important human rights work of the Society on an international platform.
The visit was part of the Colombia Caravana 2014, an international initiative to support the work of lawyers in Colombia. Lawyers in Colombia receive death threats, are persecuted and harassed on a frequent basis.
Since 1991 over 400 lawyers have been killed in Colombia, and average of one lawyer a month. Since 2013 more than eleven lawyers have been killed in the region of Valle del Cauca alone.
As part of the week-long event Sarah travelled to Cali in Western Colombia, infamous for violence associated with ongoing ‘mafia wars’, in a group including lawyers from Holland, Canada, Italy and the UK as well as judges from the US and Holland.
In Cali the group met with victims of human rights abuses, human rights defenders, trade unionists, political activists, lawyers and judges.
The group heard testimonies from over 50 victims and lawyers including accounts of torture, displacement and harassment.
Sarah said in correspondence with the Society that ‘the situation here is dire’ and that the ‘testimony we heard was at times shocking but we were inspired and grateful for the courage they showed in sharing their stories with us. Each individual case added to, and improved, our understanding of the context of human rights in Valle de Cauca and neighbouring departments.’
The main concerns raised by the attendees of the Caravana are:
•several cases of prisoners having completed their sentence but their release being delayed because of lack of legal representation, administrative failures, or a lack of impartiality by state representatives
•killings of children and young people by police or military actors with very little progress made into investigations and the transferring of such cases to military jurisdiction
•examples of prisoners, whether convicted or still under investigation and awaiting trial, being prevented access to proper legal representation
•criminalisation of trade unionists, political activists, and human rights defenders for dissent and social protest
Following her experiences in Colombia, Sarah has said:
‘All of us who visited Cali would like to publicly thank our hosts and colleagues in Cali who made our visit possible. We continue to stand together with human rights lawyers and judges who face enormous risk in their work to promote access to justice and fundamental human rights in Colombia.’
The visit was part of the Colombia Caravana 2014, an international initiative to support the work of lawyers in Colombia. Lawyers in Colombia receive death threats, are persecuted and harassed on a frequent basis.