Article published in the special Newsletter '15 years of PBI', October 2009

Emma Marshall, UK Country Group

International human rights experts interview victims and witnesses of extrajudicial killings to make the issue known internationally.

The recent visits to the UK of Liliana Uribe, of the Corporation Judicial Freedom (CJL), highlight the ways in which PBI can support accompanied human rights defenders in their international advocacy work, and the potential impact this can have.

When Liliana first visited Britain at PBI’s invitation in 2005, she took part in a round table discussion on impunity with nongovernmental and lawyers’ organisations. A key topic of discussion was extrajudicial execution. Due to the lawyers’ concern about the issue, an idea developed for an international lawyers’ mission to Colombia. 

At the invitation of Liliana and the Coordination Colombia-Europe-United States, the International Observation Mission on Extrajudicial Killings and Impunity in Colombia took place in October 2007. Thirteen human rights experts from Europe and the US participated, including two British solicitors. They travelled throughout Colombia, hearing the stories of 132 relatives of victims and witnesses of extrajudicial killings, and meeting with both social organisations and state officials.

On their return, they produced a detailed report and made recommendations to their respective governments. Among the recommendations were: that the governments raise the problem of extrajudicial killings with their Colombian counterparts, and that they condition military aid on the cessation of extrajudicial killings. The British participants held meetings with officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). 

Due, in part, to the Mission, the issue of extrajudicial killings in Colombia reached the news agenda in Europe, the UK and the US. The participants wrote articles, spoke to politicians, the media and the public. PBI UK used the Mission’s report to raise awareness of the issue in meetings with politicians and lawyers. It is now being widely recognised as a serious problem.

Around this time, the US Congress blocked the release of more than US$55 million of military aid to Colombia, due to concerns about extrajudicial killings among other human rights issues1. 

In March 2008, PBI invited Liliana back to Britain. This time, she obtained an hour-long meeting with the then Minister of State for Latin America, Dr Kim Howells. She also addressed events at the UK and Scottish Parliaments, and met with numerous MPs, NGOs and lawyers in the UK, Spain, Belgium and Germany. 

Shortly after Liliana’s visit a joint statement was released by three UN experts: the Special Representative on the situation of human rights defenders, Hina Jilani; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Leandro Despouy. They were «deeply concerned by recent developments in Colombia indicating the deteriorating situation of human rights defenders in recent months, in particular the killings, harassment and intimidation of civil society activists, trade-union leaders and lawyers representing victims»2. They called on the Colombian government to end impunity and give protection to human rights defenders.

This statement demonstrates an increase in public awareness and indignation about the issue at the highest level. This can only be understood as the result of the work of defenders like Liliana in creating international networks, and in developing ongoing advocacy work with those contacts. It is work that PBI, with its international structure, is perfectly placed to support.

1 «Amnesty International Report on Colombia 2008», www.amnesty.org

2 Press release: «UN human rights experts call for end to violence against human rights defenders in Colombia», Office of the United Nations at Geneva, 30 April 2008