Recent prosecutions of paramilitaries, guerrillas, and members of the military prove that Colombia’s judicial system is functioning properly, an official of the International Criminal Court (ICC) told the United Nations (UN).
The Prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno Ocampo, was speaking at a meeting in New York before the “Group of Friends of the International Criminal Court,” consisting of member state representatives of the ICC, the UN and representatives of human rights NGOs.
“With respect to Colombia, I can summarize the issue in one sentence,” Ocampo said. “I can say the system is working. They, in their domestic law, have cases against paramilitaries, guerrillas and even against their own military, so much so that other states have opted to use Colombia as an example to do the same. That’s why there we do not have to intervene.”
Ocampo is an Argentine lawyer who has been the Prosecutor of the ICC since 2003. The organization is an international tribunal to prosecute cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
However not all human rights groups agree with Ocampo. In November the Colombian Coalition Against Torture prepared a report to present to the UN saying that torture is widespread in Colombia and that judges are intimidated out of acting on the crimes.