The president of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Hernando Torres, confirms 700 cases of judges being threatened in Colombia in the last four years, reports Caracol.
Torres explained that the most affected are specialized judges, especially those involved in sentence enforcement, and magistrates in the criminal division of the High Courts.
According to Torres, around COP100 billion has so far been spent on special security arrangements, which sees members of the judiciary working alongside police authorities to comply with individual support measures.
The judge said that members have received threats from illegal groups involved with armed conflict, drug trafficking and common criminal activities, as well as pressure from state forces themselves in politically unstable regions around the country.
Earlier in June, in one prominent case, Judge Jenny Jimenez received threatening phone calls after President Alvaro Uribe criticized her decision to arrest Mario Aranguren, former director of the government’s Financial Information and Analysis Unit (UIAF).