Although Colombia has adopted progressive legislation with regard to indigenous peoples, human rights violations – including arbitrary arrest, abduction, torture and killing – are still perpetrated against indigenous communities in many contexts. Military counter-insurgency operations frequently involve the targeting of non-combatant indigenous people, who are also at risk of abuses from guerrilla forces. Indigenous people defending what they claim are their land rights also suffer violations. This report describes recent violations against indigenous peoples in all these contexts; guerilla abuses against indigenous peoples are also described.
