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Press Release

The Song Boom! Cayó Commemorates Colombian Protesters Victimized by Police Repression

Artists from Cali and Colombia’s Pacific region have released a track to mark the third anniversary of the mass protests of the 2021 National Strike, in which the National Police shot and killed at least three people and committed sexual and gender violence against 28.

May 3, 2024

CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP via Getty Images

Sheet of paper Report

Abandoned by the State in Host Countries, Venezuelan Women Face Increasing Gender-Based Violence

The Colombian and Peruvian states are largely absent when it comes to guaranteeing, protecting and respecting the right to a life free of violence and discrimination for Venezuelan refugee women, who face gender-based violence in all areas of life, Amnesty International said today in its new report, Unprotected: Gender-Based Violence Against Venezuelan Refugee Women in Colombia and Peru.

July 12, 2022

Photo by LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images

Press Release

Reconstruction reveals how Colombian security forces intentionally attacked peaceful protesters in Cali on May 3

An event reconstruction by SITU Research and Amnesty International details how Colombian security forces assaulted peaceful protesters in the Siloé neighborhood of the city of Cali on May 3. In the midst of this violence, three young people were shot and killed.

February 25, 2022

(Photo by Sebastian Barros/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Press Release

Only a Robust and Coordinated State Response Will Resolve the Situation of Grave Risk Faced by Human Rights Defenders in Colombia

Colombia has failed to comply with its international obligation to guarantee a safe and enabling space for the defense of human rights in the country, but today it has the opportunity to change this, Amnesty International will say at a public hearing in Congress on the situation of human rights defenders in Colombia today.

November 19, 2021

Protestor holds Colombian flag up
Photo by Juancho Torres/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Press Release

The U.S. Must Stop Providing Weapons Used to Repress Colombia’s Protests

In light of verified visual evidence by Amnesty International that United States weapons and equipment are being misused to commit human rights violations against protesters in Colombia, the human rights organization is calling on Secretary of State Blinken to immediately cease the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of equipment used for repression such as small arms, shotguns, and related ammunition; less-lethal equipment, such as tear gas, riot control projectiles and launchers; armored vehicles, dual-use surveillance technologies, training, and any other technical or financial assistance. “The United States role in fueling ceaseless cycles of violence committed against the people…

May 20, 2021

A photo taken on November 21, 2016 shows handcuffs at the Commissariat de Police Nationale (National Police Station) in Alfortville. / AFP / Thomas SAMSON (Photo credit should read THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)
THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images

Press Release

Abuse of Protesters and Prisoners Highlights Urgent Need to Regulate Torture Tools

The world must act urgently to prohibit the global trade in equipment designed to inflict excruciating pain and injury, Amnesty International and the Omega Research Foundation said today, ahead of a high-level UN meeting on the ‘torture trade’. In a new report, Ending the Torture Trade: The Path to Global Controls on the ‘Tools of Torture’, the organizations also called for controls on standard policing equipment to ensure it does not end up in the hands of abusers. 

December 10, 2020

Woman walks with a mask on
CALI, COLOMBIA - MARCH 26: Some pedestrians walk through the tourist area of Cali at Boulevard del Rio during the second day of quarantine to stop spread of COVID-19 on March 26, 2020 in Cali, Colombia. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to many countries across the world, claiming over 20,000 lives and infecting hundreds of thousands more. (Photo by Gabriel Aponte/Vizzor Image/Getty Images)

Press Release

Measures against COVID-19 in Colombia must not be an excuse for neglecting the protection of human rights defenders

The Colombian state must not use measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to weaken or withdraw protection for human rights defenders and social leaders, Amnesty International said today. “Colombia is one of the world’s most lethal countries for human rights defenders and social leaders and, in the context of COVID-19, they now face even greater risks. Due to the restrictions imposed to contain the pandemic, state protection measures have been weakened, they can no longer keep moving from one location to another for their safety, and their attackers know that public security forces are focusing on…

March 27, 2020

Photo by Juan David Moreno Gallego/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Press Release

Decision Not to Decriminalize Abortion in Colombia is a Missed Opportunity

The decision by the Constitutional Court of Colombia not to take action to decriminalize abortion represents a missed opportunity for the realization of the sexual and reproductive rights of women and other people who can become pregnant in the country, said Amnesty International.

March 3, 2020

MIRAFLORES, LIMA, PERU - 2019/12/07: Female demonstrators covering their eyes performing in a feminist flash mob "A Rapist in Your Path" (In Spanish "Un violador en tu camino") in protest of violence against women. The song, written by Chile feminist group Las Tesis is becoming an international feminist phenomenon. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Granthon/Fotoholica Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Sheet of paper Report

Countries cracked down on asylum and the right to protest in the Americas in 2019

As millions took to the streets to protest rampant violence, inequality, corruption and impunity, or were forced to flee their countries in search of safety, states across the Americas clamped down on the rights to protest and seek asylum last year with flagrant disregard for their obligations under domestic and international law, Amnesty International said today upon launching its annual report for the region. “2019 brought a renewed assault on human rights across much of the Americas, with intolerant and increasingly authoritarian leaders turning to ever-more violent tactics to stop people from protesting or seeking safety in another country. But…

February 27, 2020

Press Release

Colombia: Killings of human rights defenders continue under a cloak of impunity and the silent complicity of the state

Colombia faces a grave human rights crisis as a result of repeated targeted killings of human rights defenders, while the authorities look on unperturbed, Amnesty International said today.

July 9, 2018

Sheet of paper Report

The Years of Solitude Continue

A year on from the signing of the peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC), other guerrilla and paramilitary groups are wrestling for control of parts of the country in conflicts that are wreaking havoc on the lives of ordinary Colombians, Amnesty International said in a new report today.

November 22, 2017

Press Release

Colombia: Peace agreement must open the door to justice

The ratification of the peace agreement marks the beginning of a new and hopeful chapter in Colombia’s history, but the real hard work starts now, Amnesty International said today. Last night, Congress ratified a revised version of the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) after the original deal was rejected by a referendum on October 2. The ratification paves the way for the FARC to begin to demobilize and disarm in a process to be implemented over six months. The revised agreement offers more clarity on a number of issues, such as…

December 1, 2016