The newly initiated Colombian peace process, a result of popular pressure aided by international solidarity, has begun. But the struggle is far from over. Attacks against human rights defenders are at a 10-year high, and repression is increasing against unionists, lawyers, journalists, and civic leaders with a new round of political arrests of activists and opposition members.  

Civil society, especially women and indigenous and Afro Colombian victims, are demanding to be included at the negotiating table. Those most affected by the conflict know that a lasting peace in Colombia cannot be gained with the silencing of bullets alone, but only with justice for thousands of victims whose histories could be forgotten in a peace agreement if the perpetrators aren't held fully accountable.

What to Expect on the Delegation:

In Bogotá we will meet with human rights defenders, political analysts, civic leaders and government officials. On July 1 and 2, we will join the 35th anniversary celebration of the Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo, a human rights lawyer collective dedicated to the defense and promotion of human rights. We will visit a humanitarian zone in Urabá (the region near Panama), a small, fenced-in community where no weapons or armed actors are allowed inside. We will examine how the zones have been used as a tool by human rights defenders to increase international attention on justice for the victims and protection of the vibrant communities surviving there.

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