A Bogota court ordered Colombia’s government to fulfill its obligation to protect human rights defenders and community leaders as agreed in a peace deal with former FARC rebels in 2016.
A group of 10 social leaders had filed a petition in December in which they demanded the government of President Ivan Duque to comply with the deal to protect social leaders and dismantle paramilitary structures that threaten them.
Duque’s far-right party, the Democratic Center, is a fierce opponent of the ongoing peace deal.
The government has consistently claimed it was complying with the peace deal, but this claim was debunked by the court.
In fact, the government’s failure to provide security to human rights defenders as agreed in the peace deal was in violation of the constitution, the court ruled.
No one is forced to live under the terror of threats, in constant fear of leaving their home and territory because of their opinions, social, racial or gender status; with fear of being attacked, assaulted or stigmatized for expressing their thoughts, for belonging to a social organization or simply for being in a space sought for by other interests.
Bogota Supreme Tribunal
The court ordered national authorities to comply with international agreements that include the peace deal, previous court orders and the law in general.
Local authorities were additionally ordered to fully comply with all legislation related to the protection of human rights defenders.
The court order comes a week after the United Nations Security Council, which is monitoring the peace process, urged the government to implement “all aspects” of the 2016 peace agreement, and expressed “serious concern” over the ongoing violence that is particularly affecting social leaders and demobilized guerrillas.
UN Security Council urges Colombia to comply with peace deal
Instead of implementing the peace deal as agreed by his predecessor Juan Manuel Santos, the president introduced alternative policies and has regularly distorted the truth about their results.
This has prevented blatant non-compliance with elements of the peace deal monitored by the UN, but seriously delayed or effectively halted the implementation of others.
