Reports

Left Undefended

Killings of Rights Defenders in Colombia’s Remote Communities

The 127-page report, “Left Undefended: Killings of Rights Defenders in Colombia’s Remote Communities,” documents killings of human rights defenders in the country in the last five years, as well as serious shortcomings in government efforts to prevent them, protect defenders, and hold those responsible to account. Over 400 human rights defenders have been killed in Colombia since 2016, according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

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  • Colombia: Letting Paramilitaries Off The Hook

    Two years after the start of negotiations for the demobilization of paramilitary groups, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe plans to present a draft law to govern demobilization at an international donors’ conference in Cartagena, Colombia, on February 3-4, 2005.

  • Child Soldier Use 2003

    A Briefing for the 4th UN Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict

    Throughout 2003 thousands of children were deployed as combatants, to commit abuses against civilians, as sex slaves, forced labourers, messengers, informants and servants in continuing and newly erupting conflicts.

  • Colombia's Checkbook Impunity

    Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has presented a bill to his congress that would allow paramilitaries who have committed atrocities to skip prison for a fee. Among them are men that have ordered and carried out the killings of thousands of Colombian civilians.

  • You’ll Learn Not To Cry

    Child Combatants in Colombia

    More than 11,000 children fight in Colombia's armed conflict, one of the highest totals in the world. Both guerrilla and paramilitary forces rely on child combatants, who have committed atrocities and are even made to execute other children who try to desert.

  • A Wrong Turn

    The Record of the Colombian Attorney General's Office

    Colombia’s Attorney General has seriously undermined the investigation and prosecution of major human rights cases. The 14-page report “A Wrong Turn: The Record of the Colombian Attorney General’s Office,” documents how the attorney general's office has failed to make progress on critical human rights investigations.

  • Colombia Human Rights Certification IV

    Before making a decision on Colombia's compliance with U.S. law, the Secretary of State must consult with human rights organizations.

  • HRW Disputes State Department Certification

    On May 1, the Department of State certified to the U.S. Congress that Colombia had met the three human rights conditions contained in the Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs Act, 2002 (P.L. 107-115).

  • Colombia Human Rights Certification III

    The United States plays an important role in Colombia and can contribute to the defense of human rights and international humanitarian law. A concern for human rights motivated the U.S. Congress to condition security assistance on clear and convincing progress by Colombia’s government on protecting human rights.

  • Questions and Answers on Human Rights in Colombia

    This week President Andrés Pastrana will visit the United States on a trip that includes a scheduled meeting on November 11 with President George W. Bush. His agenda will include discussions about the new war on terrorism as well as continued U.S. funding for counternarcotics efforts in Colombia.

  • The “Sixth Division”

    Military-paramilitary Ties and U.S. Policy in Colombia

    The "Sixth Division" is a phrase used in Colombia to refer to paramilitary groups. These groups are responsible for most human rights violations, including massacres and forced displacement. Both paramilitaries and leftist guerrillas primarily target civilians, meaning that terror has become a way of life for many.

  • Colombia: Current Human Rights Conditions

    The human rights situation in Colombia has deteriorated markedly over the past year. Underlying the worsening conditions is the Colombian government's continued failure to break ties between its security forces and the country's abusive paramilitary groups.

  • Beyond Negotiation

    International Humanitarian Law and its Application to the Conduct of the FARC-EP

    Whether they live in Bogotá or in remote rural areas, Colombian civilians bear the brunt of the country's violent armed conflict. Thousands have been killed in recent years, and thousands more have been kidnaped for ransom.

  • The Pastrana-Bush Summit

    When Colombian President Andrés Pastrana meets with President George W. Bush next Tuesday (February 27), the two leaders will discuss U.S. military aid to Colombia, including the issue of Colombia's progress on improving human rights.

  • The Ties That Bind:

    Colombia and Military-Paramilitary Links

    This report shows that military support for paramilitary activity remains national in scope, and includes areas where units receiving or scheduled to receive U.S. military aid operate.