Touching on impunity and prison overcrowding, Colombia’s vice president on Tuesday discussed the government’s human rights report to be presented to the United Nations (UN).
The report will be presented to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, which gives a chance to each UN member nation to “declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfill their human rights obligations.”
The Colombian government revealed they will present the report at the UPR in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 23. The central point of the report, as highlighted by Vice President Angelino Garzon, was the justice system’s inability to reduce impunity.
Relieving the executive branch from responsibility, Garzon boldly claimed that “nobody else” but the prosecutors and the judges can make effective change when it comes to impunity.
Garzon also acknowledged other problems Colombia faces, such as prison overcrowding and social inequality.
“Colombia is not going to paint little birds in the air nor say that we are the wonderland,” Garzon said. “We have to say in Geneva that we still have some things about which we could be taking action in regard to human rights.”
The UPR will take place just after the International Criminal Court (ICC) delegation wraps up its visit to Colombia. The ICC is currently meeting with Colombian leaders to address a wide variety of large scale crimes and human rights violations in Colombia, especially those sponsored or authorized by the State.
Among the ICC’s topics of interest are false positive killings, military justice reform, parapolitics, sexual violence and illegal wiretapping.
MORE: International Court Visits Colombia to review State crimes
Sources
- Colombia revela informe de Derechos Humanos (El Tiempo)
- ‘Impunidad y hacinamiento en carceles seguen siendo una verguenza para los DD.HH’ (CMI)
- Universal Periodic Review (ohchr.org)
