Letter to Secretary Clinton on human rights in Colombia
Yesterday, six non-governmental organizations sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking her to ensure that, with the beginning of Juan Manuel Santos' presidency in Colombia, U.S. policy focuses strongly on the human rights issues facing the nation. "It is a moment to increase – rather than ease – pressure on the Colombian government to make substantial improvements in the protection and promotion of human rights," write the six Latin America and human rights organizations. The organizations urge Secretary Clinton not to certify that Colombia's human rights performance is improving, as required by law to free up 30 percent of military aid in the foreign aid budget. The letter points to five key areas on which U.S. policy should focus and press the Colombian government to achieve. They include:
- Ending and effectively prosecuting extrajudicial executions by the army;
- Ending and effectively prosecuting intelligence service abuses;
- Ensuring a safe climate for those working at risk for the rule of law, including human rights defenders, union leaders, judges, prosecutors, journalists and Afro-COlombian and indigenous community leaders;
- Dismantling paramilitary and new illegal armed networks; and
- Protecting the rights of and returning land to internally displace persons and refugees.
The six NGOs that signed the letter are: the Center for International Policy, Latin America Working Group, Washington Office on Latin America, U.S. Office on Colombia, Human Rights First and Lutheran World Relief. The four-page letter includes a summary of concerns and recommendations in the five areas listed above. You can download the full text here.