Urgent Action for Colombia Feb24 2

Following our recent Urgent Action on behalf of the Colombian human rights defenders NGO CREDHOS, we are sad to report that on 13 February the home of one of the members of CREDHOs suffered an attack by grenade, which injured members of the family. As many of you will know, more human rights and environmental defenders are attacked and killed in Colombia than in any other country.

This new Urgent Action (https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr23/7747/2024/en/) is directed at the Attorney General’s Office demanding that the perpetrators by brought to justice. One of the major difficulties in stopping these attacks on human rights and environmental defenders is the impunity under which they operate. It is rare indeed for anyone to be brought to justice.

Please take action by sending this letter or one in your own words to

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Hernando Toro
Director of the Special Investigation Unit
Attorney General’s Office
Avenida Calle 24 No. 52 – 01
Bogotá DC, Colombia
E-mail: hernando.toro@fiscalia.gov.co

Dear Director,

I am writing to express my deep concern at the impunity for perpetrators who continue to threaten and attack human rights, territory, land, and environmental defenders in Colombia. In a recent attack on 13 February, the family of a member of Corporación Regional para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (CREDHOS) were injured when a grenade exploded in their home in  Barrancabermeja. This follows recent threats and attacks  against members of CREDHOS and Federación de Pescadores Artesanales Ambientalistas y Turísticos del Departamento de Santander (FEDESPAN), also in Barrancabermeja.

Amnesty International has documented the risk faced by those who defend human rights in Colombia since 2020. Despite public appeals and the presentation of our concerns, both in face-to-face meetings with authorities and through actions on social and digital platforms, these individuals and their communities continue to be threatened and attacked simply for defending their rights. I am concerned that the state’s response to protect human rights defenders at risk, which includes allowing the perpetrators do go unpunished, is insufficient to stop these aggressions.

I urge you to fulfil the Attorney General’s Office’s duty

•  to investigate the threats and attacks against members of CREDHOS and FEDEPESAN,
•  to establish who is responsible for ordering and carrying out these attacks
•  to bring the perpetrators to justice.
  

Thank you,

Yours sincerely

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Please send copies of your email to the Colombian Embassy and Ambassador in London: Roy Barreras Montealegre, 3 Hans Crescent, London SW1X 0LN elondres@cancilleria.gov.co  and roy.barreras@cancilleria.gov.co

Many thanks for taking action,