Friday 12 December 2008, San José, Costa
Rica
RIGHTS: Harsh Language
for Colombia at UN
Review
By Gustavo Capdevila
GENEVA (IPS) - Experts
at multilateral forums
usually begin their
speeches with diplomatic
words praising some
aspect of the country or
government under
examination, before
delivering their barrage
of criticism.
The tried and true
formula was followed by
nearly all the
government
representatives who
spoke at the United
Nations Human Rights
Council session devoted
Wednesday to human
rights violations in
Colombia.
More than 40 speakers
opened their remarks by
acknowledging the
efforts made by the
Colombian government to
guarantee respect for
human rights in the
country, racked by
nearly half a century of
civil war involving
leftwing guerrillas,
government forces and
far-right paramilitary
groups.
In their next breath,
the same diplomats
indicated the
difficulties experienced
by the Colombian
authorities in putting
an end to the numerous
serious violations such
as murders, forced
disappearances,
extrajudicial executions
and torture.
Adrien-Claude Zoller, a
veteran Swiss expert and
head of the
non-governmental
International Training
Centre for Human Rights
and Peace Education (CIFEDHOP)
in Geneva, described to
IPS the speeches heard
during the U.N.
Universal Periodic
Review of the situation
in Colombia.
In fact, no country
spoke up solely to
defend Colombia, Zoller
said. "None," he
repeated emphatically.
As a result, the tone
adopted by all of the
delegations was roughly
the same, he added.
This showed that every
one of the speakers knew
that there were serious
problems with human
rights in Colombia, the
expert concluded.
This is the first time
there has been such
close agreement since
the Universal Periodic
Review Mechanism began
to be implemented early
this year. The mechanism
was established by the
Human Rights Council to
verify U.N. member
countries' observance of
their obligations in the
field of human rights.
"I think this novel
aspect is very
important," Zoller
emphasised. "Most of the
serious problems
existing in Colombia
were raised during the
debate."
European countries
followed the pattern of
recognising certain
improvements in
Colombia's human rights
situation, before
underscoring the
"persistence of serious
concerns," as the Danish
delegate said.
The number of indigenous
people who have been
killed in Colombia is
alarming, said the
representative from
Copenhagen, who warned
that the killings have
pushed several
indigenous communities
to the verge of
disappearing.
Denmark's delegate also
mentioned the widespread
use of torture by the
Colombian security
forces, and called on
Bogotá to ratify the
Optional Protocol to the
Convention against
Torture and other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment.
Canada stressed the
gravity of the
violations committed in
Colombia, highlighting
the problem of
extrajudicial
executions. Ireland
referred to the same
abuses and expressed
concern that the murders
are attributed to the
Colombian armed forces.
Australia, in turn,
reported that members of
the armed forces
maintain links with
paramilitary groups or
condone their actions.
Belgium expressed
concern over Colombian
government statements
that cast doubt on the
independence of the
Supreme Court.
Spain, which had
recently backed some of
rightwing President
Alvaro Uribe's human
rights policies,
distanced itself and
showed concern about the
turn of events in that
area.
The Spanish delegation
recommended that the
Colombian government
engage in dialogue with
major sectors of civil
society, with "both
sides dropping
stigmatising talk and
unfounded accusations."
The Uruguayan
representative
recommended that the
Colombian government
give strict orders to
the security forces to
avoid designating as
"terrorists" human
rights activists and
members of
non-governmental
organisations.
The misrepresentation of
activists as terrorists
has been encouraged from
high levels of power,
with tragic results, the
delegate from Montevideo
said.
Zoller criticised
Colombian Vice President
Francisco Santos, who
headed his country's
delegation, for his
accusation that
non-governmental
organisations did not
want to participate in
the process, "which is
not true," he said.
There is great diversity
among the members of
Colombian civil society
who came to Geneva to
attend the session, the
Swiss expert said.
Furthermore, people face
the risk of forced
disappearance in
Colombia, so "who will
guarantee that most of
those who have come this
year will be back next
year?" he asked.
"We know the history and
everyone here knows it
too. That's why this is
neither the time nor the
place for the vice
president to attack
those who are present,
but have no voice,"
Zoller said.
The Universal Periodic
Review Mechanism
guidelines determine
that human rights
organisations can only
present their complaints
through reports to the
U.N. Office of the High
Commissioner for Human
Rights, rather than
directly to the working
group that prepares the
definitive report on
each country.
The Uruguayan delegate
remarked that violations
of human rights and
international
humanitarian law persist
in Colombia, and are
committed by the
paramilitaries, the
guerrillas, and
government forces.
Ayda Quilcué, a leader
of the Regional
Indigenous Council of
Cauca, a province in
southwestern Colombia,
told IPS that indigenous
people, blacks and civil
society appreciate the
importance of the review
carried out in Geneva.
Many countries took an
interest, asking
questions and making
recommendations, she
said.
"We will be able to use
these recommendations as
tools for monitoring
what happens within the
country," she said.
Quilcué added that she
was going home happy,
having seen for herself
the quality of global
diplomatic action,
because the problems
faced by civil society
and indigenous people
had been laid bare,
"which is important for
us." |
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