Berlin/Bogota (German news agency) - The federal government sees no systematic violations of human rights by security authorities in Colombia. Allegations of a "systematic practice" of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and torture are not covered by either the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights or the United Nations, it said in response to a small question from the parliamentary group "Die Linke".
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There are also no indications of systematic restrictions on civil liberties. However, there are individual cases in which Colombian security forces are accused of using disproportionate force and serious human rights violations. In the Federal Government's view, the persistent high levels of violence and the continued presence of illegal armed groups in some areas particularly affected by the conflict pose the greatest threat to the consolidation of peace in Colombia. A report published by Human Rights Watch in February 2021 gives a very substantiated picture of the risk situation, particularly for people who work for human rights, pacification and social issues and who oppose criminal activities.
The continuing high number of victims would show that the measures taken by the Colombian government were still not sufficient to effectively fulfill their duty to protect the population. The left-wing faction asked about the reasons that prompted the federal government to conclude a military agreement with the South American country "despite reports of systematic human rights violations". According to the response, the federal government views Colombia as "a stable democracy whose government has initiated a defense transformation process to modernize the armed forces and strengthen their democratic role." Colombia is the only country in Latin America with the status of a "NATO Global Partner" and underlines its ongoing commitment and commitment with ongoing and planned participation in missions of the United Nations (UN), the European Union and NATO as well as the maintenance of two UN training centers its willingness to contribute to global stability and peace.
Photo: Bogotá (Colombia), via dts news agency
