This document describes AI’s concern about attacks on human rights defenders in Colombia, giving details of a number of cases. The majority of attacks have been attributed to paramilitary groups operating under the command of the armed forces. The violations take place in a context of long-running civil conflict, with over 20,000 deaths due to political violence since 1986. Incidents reported include: attacks against legal advisers for indigenous communities and lawyers for the CSPP, a political prisoners committee; the “disappearance” of lawyer Dr Alirio Pedraza Becerra; threats against lawyer Dr Eduardo Umana Mendoza; the “blacklisting” of human rights workers and others in August 1993; wrongful imprisonment of Edwar Alvarez Vacca; threats and extrajudicial execution of members of CREDHOS, Barrancabermeja; harassment of human rights activists in Meta Department; attempts to silence relatives and witnesses of human rights violations, e.g. members of ASFADDES and Fabiola Lalinde, whose son was “disappeared”.
