March 16, 2021
Colombia’s state representative walked out of an Interamerican Human Rights Court hearing on Monday while on trial over its alleged responsibility in the 2000 rape of a journalist.
The decision of state attorney Camilo Gomez to abandon the hearing on claims the court was “prejudiced” shocked the director of freedom of the press foundation (FLIP), which supports journalist Jineth Bedoya.
State defense attorney Camilo Gomez
The Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR) took the State to the highest human rights court in the Americas in 2019 after finding that Colombian justice made little to no effort to achieve justice for the journalist.
Massacres and Killings of Social Leaders Impede Peace in Colombia: Second Alert
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by Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli
As per our prior December 16 urgent action, below you will find concerning rights situations requiring your attention and action.
Black U.S. Actor and Activist Assaulted by Police in Cartagena (Bolívar)
On December 15, police officers in Cartagena, Bolívar department assaulted Kendrick Sampson a Black U.S. actor and Black Lives Matter Activist. A video of the incident circulated through social media, which showed a uniformed officer harassing Kendrick, punching him in the face, and pulling a gun on him. The police officers then withheld Kendrick’s documents and detained him at a police station for several hours.