“Our commitment is the investigation and prosecution of crimes against human rights defenders in Colombia and we are producing results”: Attorney General

To date, 59.80% of cases have been clarified. Moreover, a microsite is available in the web in order to reveal the progress made concerning investigations into acts committed against human rights defenders as consolidators of the social Rule of Law. 

The Office of the Attorney General recognizes the work of the human rights defenders in Colombia. The Attorney General, Francisco Barbosa, stated that he is “aware of the damage caused by the murder of a human right defender. Violent actions like these, break down processes, disintegrate communities and generate irreparable pain in the families. For this reason, the Office of the Attorney General seeks to guarantee a prompt and effective justice as a mechanism that will allow victims to restart and recover the social fabric and to rebuild community dynamics”. 

Therefore, the results of the strategy led by the Attorney General to strengthen the lines of investigation, that allow the clarification of crimes against human rights defenders, are important. In 7 months, the clarification of cases reported by the United Nations (UN) went from 52.04% (February 2020) to 59.80%. 

This significant progress, which is the result of the institutional work of the Office of the Attorney General, is available to the public in the website “Justicia Para Renacer”, a site with “public information that contributes to a more transparent debate and facilitates access to citizens to examine the data shared by the Office of the Attorney General”, said the Attorney General, Francisco Barbosa at the opening ceremony. 

“This page offers transparency about issues related to what has been happening in Colombia, with unprecedented results,” he stated. He also highlighted the methodology used by the Special Investigation Unit which has yielded unprecedented results. In record time, less than 20 days, important outcomes have been obtained in the criminal prosecution of the substructures responsible for the homicides committed in different parts of the national territory. 

“This Office of the Attorney General is not a static, inactive or pachydermic entity, and it cannot be because the crime does not have a specific geographical location, neither does our work. We have staff working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in any corner of the country since criminality never stops and neither do we. Justice cannot be exclusively for large cities, neither from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. We have been working without stopping for 8 months”, he reiterated. 

Innovative strategies of prioritization, coordination and strengthening of the investigative capacities have been designed in order to move forward with the commitment that has been made. “All territories are important for the Office of the Attorney General. There is not a first, second or third position. Every corner of this country is vital”. 

In the new website launch, the Chief Prosecutor Francisco Barbosa Delgado pointed out that, for the first time, the Office of the Attorney General has obtained  important procedural results in terms of advances in the clarification of murders committed against human rights defenders.  

Besides the exhaustive investigations, as of today, transparency is also guaranteed with the new tool. For this reason, the Attorney General stressed that the strategy named En La Calle y En Los Territorios (near people and territories), the Office of the Attorney General meets the needs of groups that have historically suffered the attacks of violence. It is a central feature of the investigations. It is an example of the tireless work of our officials to guarantee justice for human rights defenders. 

This commitment remains valid and now citizens will be able to monitor its evolution through the site “Justicia para Renacer”. This is a feature of this Office: The transparency,” he stated.

In addition, he stressed that all citizens have the right to enjoy tranquility in the cities, so “terrorists cannot be allowed to infiltrate protests or ‘mingas’ (indigenous meetings). In this sense, we will closely follow this issue and we will prosecute all those people who disturb the peace, the public health and that threaten most of the Colombian citizens”, he reiterated. 

“This Office is not at the service of any political cause and neither will fall into the polarization. Our only idea and direction is the practice of Law, the rigorous investigation of crimes, the recognition of the rule of law, regardless of the ideology. The Office of the Attorney General is distinguished by its disciplined procedures that produce results in all territories of the country. I consider the Office of the Attorney General as an open and a comprehensive institution that will be in all the territories of the country. And what is most important, we do not speak with words but with actions, “concluded the Attorney General Francisco Barbosa Delgado. 

The Office of the Attorney General makes this information public for reasons of general interest.