The Spanish wing of Amnesty International launched an online campaign this week calling for Colombia’s president to remedy the shortcomings of the Victims and Land Restitution law.
“In Colombia, those who are fighting for the return of lands stolen during the armed conflict are threatened and killed. The Victims and Land Restitution has failed to increase the safety of these people. We call on the government to fix this and other shortcomings of the law,” claimed Amnesty International in a statement Wednesday.
The prominent NGO believed that many “people are claiming the return of stolen lands and are subsequently threatened, harassed or killed directly. This is the price of land in Colombia.”
Amnesty did, however, acknowledge some positive aspects of the initiative saying, “It recognizes the existence of an armed conflict in the country and provides for reparations for many survivors of abuse and human rights violations.”
The Victims and Land Restitution law was a landmark bill aimed at compensating Colombians who had suffered due to armed conflict. One of the primary aims of the initiative was to assist victims to rebuild their lives with the help of payments of up to $11,000, as well as provide land restitutions to people displaced by violence.