Front Line announces the nominees for the Front Line Award 2009
Today in Dublin Front Line was joined by parliamentarians from the main political parties, and both the Irish and European parliaments, to show their support for the courage and struggle for human rights of four outstanding human rights defenders. Danilo Rueda from Colombia, Yaena Solaemae from Thailand, Dr Yuri Melini from Guatemala and Samuel Mohochi from Kenya have been selected by the Front Line jury as the shortlisted nominees for the Front Line Award 2009.
2009 Recipient of Amnesty International’s Ginetta Sagan Award for Women’s and Children’s Rights: Yolanda Becerra Vega
When peace comes to Barrancabermeja, people in Colombia say, peace will come to Colombia.
No one understands the truth of this saying better than women's rights activist Yolanda Becerra Vega, national director of Popular Women's Organization, which helps women - especially the millions of internally displaced persons - resist the deadly effects of their nation's long-running civil war.
HRF: Colombian Government Targets Human Rights Defenders: Principe Gabriel González
Video of 3 minutes from Human Rights First, caused by the recent judgment in Bucaramanga against Principe Gabriel Gonzalez from the Political Prisoners Solidarity Committee
LA Times: Colombian activist waits in prison limbo
Human rights groups say Carmelo Agamez's case is an example of how Colombia's justice system is broken, and how unjustifiable arrests are used to intimidate dissidents.
Reporting from Corozal, Colombia -- Community organizer Carmelo Agamez has spent five months in jail and still has not seen the evidence against him, been told who his accuser is or been notified of a trial date. Welcome to justice, Colombia style.
ABColombia: Parliamentarians and government welcome ABColombia policy document
Britain’s minister for Latin America, the Colombian ambassador and British parliamentarians welcomed ABColombia’s policy document Fit for Purpose: How to Make UK Policy on Colombia More Effective at its launch in the British House of Commons on Tuesday 17 March 2009.
IPS: COLOMBIA: Spurious Cases Against Human Rights Defenders
BOGOTA, Feb 26 (IPS) - Six months after human rights defender Julio Avella was put behind bars, a prosecutor reviewing the case threw out the charges against him, which were based on the testimony of former guerrillas and police and army reports, on the grounds that they were "contradictory, incoherent, inconsistent and illogical."