COVID-19 and the Colombian Presidential Election: Why Colombia Finds Itself at a Crossroads
An interview with Sebastián Escobar Uribe
Sebastián Uribe is a human rights defender and lawyer with the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers' Collective (CAJAR) in Colombia. He recently visited the UK on a speaking tour and sat down with PBI to discuss the effect that the pandemic has had on human rights in Colombia, and how the upcoming presidential election will shape the space for years to come.
Sebastian in London
What was the impact of the pandemic on human rights in Colombia?
In light of the grave economic and social impact of the pandemic on the people of Colombia, this speaker tour and this interview with PBI is timely. Throughout the pandemic, the status of human rights in Colombia significantly deteriorated: protests to ensure respect for human rights were met with violent repression by the Colombian armed forces – that is, the police and military. Human rights defenders in Colombia who denounce the corrupt dynamics of the armed forces are unprotected and exposed to substantial risk. By denouncing corruption, they place targets on their backs.
Has safety for human rights defenders improved since the peace accords were signed?
Actually, the situation has been of increasing concern under the current government regime. Some 900 human rights defenders have been killed in Colombia over the past few years. Last year it was 171. Despite it only being June, 75 human rights defenders have already been killed this year. With numbers drastically increasing, it is important to highlight the need for protection, and for the UK government to push their Colombian counterparts on this issue.
What is sense regarding this month’s Presidential elections?
It is against this backdrop of threats to rights and defenders that Colombia is undergoing a presidential electoral process that will seal the fate of Colombia for the next four years. It is vital that the incoming President makes strong commitments to human rights. In this respect, the UK has an increasingly important role to play in relation to its diplomatic relationship with Colombia. The UK is well-placed to send a clear message to Colombia: that policies should be more respectful of human rights and seek to protect human rights defenders. In particular, we need a policy that would reform the limits within which the police and armed forces are permitted to respond to protests, in a bid for increased respect from the security forces towards human rights. The Scottish police are providing training to the Colombian police, so the UK has leverage.
Tell us a little more about the work of CAJAR
CAJAR work to protect human rights defenders by representing them in legal cases and calling for the accountability of actors responsible for human rights violations, even bringing constitutional cases to demand respect for human rights in Colombia in a way that will last. Unfortunately, this has led to reprisals, and members of CAJAR have been subjected to persecution over the past 20 years: recently, CAJAR brought a case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in relation to the persecution faced by its members. Over the last two years, CAJAR has also been profiled and illegally tracked by cyber intelligence agencies within the Colombian military.
What do you hope to achieve here in the UK?
In making this visit, I hope to raise the profile of what has been happening in Colombia. I hope to encourage people, particularly members of parliament, to pressure the UK government to engage with the Colombian government and advocate for the full implementation of the peace agreement and the National Security Guarantees Commission. I also hope that people and institutions in the UK will be able to provide us with resources and support while working with us and PBI towards the protection of human rights defenders.
What does it mean to be accompanied by PBI?
PBI’s support, which has included physical accompaniment for members of CAJAR, has been fundamental in us being able to continue our legal defence of human rights safely. PBI has provided protection to human rights defenders across Colombia and raised awareness within democratic spaces. PBI’s mission to raise the visibility of human rights violations has been indispensable to achieving solidarity on an international level and recognition on the international stage, creating an environment in which CAJAR is able to carry out its all-important work.
