Transcripts For ALJAZ The 20240704

The players hope to be chosen for the under 17 national team. And late to achieve the highest goal. Bunny on the bunny on the players. Yeah. So no matter what happens next, were going through to the knockout stage, but youre not going yeah. And has made history. And despite the obstacles, Young Players like to space st and holding on to that inspiration, somebody the ultra 0. So wait till the 2007 days are the top stores. It says cooley does have until sunday to see power and return to civilian route. According to a deadline set by west africa nations. Regions defense chiefs have drawn up a plan for possible military intervention. If is general, dont reinstate the democratically elected president mohammed. It doesnt as the rational physician the, the election of island, the husband sentence, its an additional 19 years in prison on charges of extremism. About me is a critical present person thats campaigns against corruption in the crime in since 2011. The support is on Human Rights Campaign is according to persecution. A give away of free merchandise from a popular device treatment new york to send it into tales and vandalism. Chi sonata announced to millions of his own line full. It was that he would give away gaming consoles in manhattans union square of thousands of people turned out with some of the damaging cause buses and throwing bottles that police offices. So thats housing charge with multiple accounts including inciting a riot and then the assembly, 65. 00 people were arrested moving hoff minus those all the headlines one use here on out is there in a short, long stay with us about didnt keep up to date on im just here the challenges with the hello. Welcome to the stream of josh rushing today, columbia and the dangerous job of being human rights activists in that country. Now what youre seeing here, these are the top 5 countries where human rights activist and social leaders were killed last year. Look at columbia. Its at the top, a 186. 00 killed. Thats according to the latest report from the rights group, front line defenders. So in todays episode, we look at the reasons why columbia is the worlds deadliest country for those wanting to protect human rights. And whats being done about it. The joining us. Joining us from bogota, laura, but the Deputy Director of the potter as foundation that the latin american think tank specialize in conflict analysis. Also in bogota. Nico alexander colombia based journal was covering human rights and social justice. And in dublin, ireland sarah to war, global head of protection for the rights group. Frontline defenders. And as always, youre also at the table. If youre watching this on youtube, check it out. We have a live stream producer waiting there to get your comments to me. So i can get them to our guest today and you and i will, we can do this thing together, right. All right, lets begin with lar, why is it so dangerous to be a Human Rights Defender in columbia of all places. A well, basically the charge, im sorry, is because our long war history on our long down our met conflicts a to be a little bit more clear for the audience columbia in half of long term conflict for so many g. S. Age 101520 g as we try to do a piece process. And our last piece process. Last sale is the implementation of the ease of ramen. And thats 3 a slide. The sensation on the ceiling in the columbia in the state cannot accomplish the screen with nothing at all. So that creates a lot of frustration in the field. And at the same time, during the past 5 years to fully furnished as was know to really for us and in the field. And that implies such as many elements groups, any kind of farm. The groups are starting to grow up in the, especially in the rural area, especially in certain areas. So for that kind of argument groups they associate and leadership r n e y because are all those are much groups of leaving from the violence. They are like a violin producers and they are the shape and weight selling their violence. So associated with either a human slice defenders usually try to stop the actions from a group. Try to speak a no, no devoted to reset the control of the violence or certain things. So thats why right now for that type of bio lives in a dissertation in columbia, a soldier market for Human Rights Defenders and also for socio leaders and something that they think that these really part done in the columbia is very generous with the categories ation. So uh for us usually there, so shouldnt be. There is on the Human Rights Defenders. It used to be the same person in the field. Mm hm. So maybe, oh, so far, thats the reason we have to know when the condo, thats a, these cases. What, speaking of a 186 cases, theyre actually want to put a, a face on some of those names rather than just being numbers. So sarah, youre part of frontline defenders. We, weve gone to your website here and, you know, just looking at it, its broken down by country. Youll get colombia, and look at these spaces, attempted killing new deaths, right . Thats right. Killed. Lets, lets, lets put, lets, lets go in on this one here to feel a couldnt. Yeah. What can you tell us about him . Why was he killed, you know, think it just full for bringing to flow into this conversation. Then definitely i think when we have a numbers more than reporting number of cases, we want to bring the memory of those 4 kids and tell a story of why they would kid. So when the kids are still laconia, who was actually keeping it together with another defender, george, a whole town back to and they worked in the february last year. The 2 of them were a company seen those leaders sometimes in english is not the best for thing because some people use has the conflicts of lots in america. Company seeing those look translates back to the kind of Community Role that they are looking at. So they were to the senators duplicating for land, right. So the vocation for the rights of somebody seen is to be way to sustain. They will have to have the conditions to sustain the likelihood. And both of them, i think this is emblematic case because they also didnt hold it. They actually came up with public analysis about the Death Threats they, they were being subjected to me and only 2 days before they were killed. They was again, a public, denounce on the Death Threats that they were being subjected to. Because of the denalis they were making, i guess the role of the municipality and the local police. So it would be 2 of them were actually a show of that i think from the front of the unknown and you today, we dont have the response of hor actually responsible for that particular case. I think it, this is the name of the month the case because show that those individuals are not on the isolated individuals. But the representative collect of the struggles as a lot of was a lot, i would say in the context of columbia, how important it is as part of the community to the fast as part of the community organized. And i think the keys are still off new again, it also shows the voucher or the criminalization of Human Rights Defenders in the case of a little bit. So they often who was actually detained in 2020. And that shows a story like, who was the say here was too, but that spread and then find that it was due, which i think for us just as good as ation of those, the low Cost Effective protection for human rights, the sensors that trees in that context and then another case that we want it to look into an ego. Can you tell us about this 14 year old boy who was killed in calcutta to yeah, that case was one that really struck a chord in particular last year. Its a base 30 on of the year in january, right of the start of the year. Hes one of the 1st few human rights fighters and in this particular case, and by mental defender who, who was murdered and the strong thing about the cases, his age is 14 and instructed in the region. If theyll go to the south, south west of the country and he was murdered when he was taking part in some of the traditional control of the indigenous territories which he lived. And he was part of the indigent discard, which is better than a national organization. Its a known on group and a task themselves with trying to protect their own territories and trying to defend their, their commission and the causes from potential threats and, and risk cause of, of those. We mentioned screeches to different areas of the country which are and i have the presence of on groups and as a consequences, stuff for quite a lot of sides invitation violence and she was unfortunately killed when they were ambushed. His patrol was ambushed to him and he was going on with his father who lovely survived, but another member of gold was also killed. And they just, they just faced open fire in small row larry of, of go when they would just try to control and, and provide a minimum the degree of protection and, and security to fundable communities that heard that there was a legit presence of on groups in their community for the patrol went down to try and see what was going on and just try and see if they could come down the situation or at least provide some degree of protection to the communities. And as a result they, they just showed us and the young, painted, unfortunate killed. Im just gonna show one of the, a lot of the kids are just on, you know, and brandon thomas, the tax on that. Just take lines of, you know, some people like like dana, who is this 14 year old and who was just taking part of his, you know, usual control and trying to defend his community and trying to force as well to send to the environment. And as a result of being part of that control and that community, he was pretty much there so that, that was the case that im particularly distract the court. And the last year. Yeah, the, i just want to make clear cuz were talking about him patrolling to defend his community. I want our audience to understand. They were not armed. It was just basically there for us. Okay, there. Right . Yeah, yeah, exactly. The dog. This is an apartment. Yeah. So really cool, so yeah, so ill just send the Business Card as is as josh was saying, not, not good um, hold on Pacific Group and they just patrol the areas just provides us of the minimum level of safety and security from those threats which as i mentioned before and it would be indigenous areas and groups have quite a heavy presence. Right. Right. So it just depends of on a sort of on, on draw the indigenous patrols. I dont want to turn that. Yeah. I want to bring in a some reporting. This is done by my friend and colleague alejandro ruby at a whos down in bogota, reports from columbia for out jerry english on our new side. And he interviewed oscar some bio, whos an environmental activist from there. And i want to share this piece. The video people most car told us that hes been tricked into by criminals. He claims are responsible for dumping toxic, wasting that we cultural or protected areas near to save you about lack of better me the government thats provided him with a date time body guards, a flat jackets and a panic button. But he says the security measures are no match for the arm groups who operate with impunity, such as a folder, we escape the government institutions that should be all recourse about the regional attorney general Inspector General them but some and from that the other way because they have been co opted by the criminal frequency a lot or theres a couple things i want to touch on there. I, i basically want to move to impunity, which is brought up idea of that. But even before that, i think it was in your pre interview. You told us something along the lines that the violence is the economy. Yes. Can you can use the height of the piece. Yes. So many people, especially, you know, i used to work with a Swedish Organization for so many d as a most of the people outside columbia. Believe that this is a new show. Well, you know, a lot of schools or the, for any legal economies and the solution to all of that is just the, you know, and or 5 daily the economies of the cream and all economies they find here is that we dont call that same conflict that another cone please with and that of course with their own arms may be in the past. But right now we have the not, of course, in one place, we have out of met groups, sally, the bio and services. So basically all the groups go really as far, many tardies, private army groups are sally and like a therapy, so by or less of protection. So i, i personally know that some projects my colleague and i am from the same region. So what is the point with that . This is a pretty good case to explain that they still shouldnt be theirs under environmental leaders against, you know, some kind of contamination. So people for come to me and they think they are not taking, you know, direct shows like games, believe those they hired some group or they just morning to some group on that group. So for instance, in the region, this stuff, i told them region thats true, doesnt need to move and theyre called 16 and it plays up the concert or to solve the country for them is more you, she 8 to go today. Legal economy of petroleum only got a calling on me all for any kind of oil and then, oh gee, and try to extract the resources for the calling them. And if you just finish to not put that off right now, we are in a high crisis. And the height, economic price is not the traffic is no, not is not now a Good Business in columbia. So people are suffering in the field. So no, they dont have anything to buy the call cup cups. So why are still the file is because they send groups that could be, you know, that before of these crisis, they were buying things and they were buying the coca ellipse and done this thing. Groups are trying to increase the rents, you know, using the extortion. And that explains right why, for these groups are just the 33 i was concerned that we 3 was concerned if the key, all these new conflicting columbia. I mean, janet, i mean, loved in america. Well, what are bringing some voices from youtube for watching the show right now . This is from youtube, are man, says drugs is the most important problem in columbia. And then um, okay, whatever does that, thats their name. My mind says, im wondering to what extent do people there know about the idea of human rights . It seems at least they know theres a concept of human rights before. Therefore, they have somebody active as standing up, and then there was one about impunity. Info is this because there are no effective state institutions thats from brian filter. Now were going to answer these questions, but 1st i want to bring in one more video comment from our community. This is from andrew miller. He is the ag advocacy director at amazon watch. The Petro Administration has placed Human Rights Defenders in very important positions of influence. For example, the Vice President , frontier marquez also the Peace Commission and neither of the way the among others. Those individuals, however, are facing, and trend systems of impunity. For example, the scholarship at all colombia is attorney general. Francisco barbosa has not demonstrated the political will to investigate and hold Accountable Government officials responsible for human rights violations. One example is the author of the month, so massacre from last year in which colombia and total narcotics, the units killed, 11 people, including Community Leaders and a key truck. Indigenous governor to date and investigation has not been carried out. And officials have not been held accountable. I mean, why are people being held to account for these murders a yeah, thats a long standing issue that columbus had the drunken impunity and the state efficient in the state and efficiency. So in this regard, a lot of is down to the fact that police, i believe the on a, on groups that are often times trying all these things, they know they can get a good state. They know they can get away with them. They know that theyre operating in areas where they are basically the defective government. And they can do as a kid, especially in terms of getting with the opposition voices for any resistance when you say elicit economies. So there has been a long history of the state and community, and i just want to bring up a point that i understand that are going to get you mentioned in the video, which is the, the state protection system. They have the National Protection unit as part of the ministry of interior here in columbia, which provide protection to people into sweats people overseas. The, you know, the perceived hub but, but thats basically the. So the go to mechanism and its not the effective one. Last year was given a budget of just over a 1000000. 00, at least, which in the grand scheme of things is not a lot. And its also a very inefficient and very slow process. Ive spoken to a number of defenders who are allegedly protected under that program but have voice for months and months and months and months to receive that protection. And the protection is a fairly minimal pendigraphs kind of things. Again, like i mentioned in the video, maybe its arrows that present like your driver when he might know the desk of beauty on what you have of this we have. I have dealt with cases in which people were stressed and by those were supposed to be protecting them in the program. So it means the program has a number of limitations. And i think in the context of columbia, its really important to think to then to fight exactly who are those defenders when being killed. When we look at this number of a 108 to 6 case, these are, the cases has been collected to verify that in the case of colombia, very important saw something today. She went to so elizabeth and so it is come up with the numbers and the breakdown. So when we opened those numbers, when were looking at, were looking at 4 to 2 percent of them are indigenous peoples. And we are looking at 7 to 2 out of those a 108 to 6 cases where people were involved with the school were non these, which means people who actually took up a leadership role in this very, very local level. So people working full on Community Organizing on the lands, rice, which is other thing. The fact that those protection mechanisms dont tweaks, those most isolated convenience, which means the production mckinney is, are not accessible where they are most needed to know you can still access it, but its not everywhere. Its not consistent across the company. So i think youve looked flight as correctly, and im sure a lot also has a being like when youre talking about the effectiveness of this protection system. I want you to know we, we reached out for video comments from colombia and some of the people were really too scared to put their face on camera. So we had this comment, this is from one who is that goodman is a climate just as active as the new york city. I can forward to you on behalf of a community. Im very fond of in northern columbia. That chosen not to show their faces because a few friends by are in groups and the region. These are groups are establishing new territorial control over this cupid lands between peasants. Indigenous communities, and truce developments in northern columbia. These arent groups are only enticing violence, but seem to control this land to be able to carry weapons to traffic drugs and to be able to exploit Natural Resources such as land, wood and mines. Local communities have going to have come forward to the government asking for support and for help. Local authorities fear these are groups and the central Colonial Government has so far remain silent. Laura, what can be done . What should be done . Yeah, well this will be maybe this will sound simple, but its not simple to do that. We know 1st they do need to have a lot to do with our sent on these. So people that jerry can not use the low color starting to protect themselves. So they have to call to go with that, they have to look for a deals, they have to look for another institutions to help them to get protection that they need in the 2nd place. People, for instance, do, are talking about the color, the color, the guide is the most dramatic situation right now for indigenous people, especially for women. So we met Indigenous Women in goals got if they want to implement the collect the road, the protection they need to go forward because the local, the state dont have the capacity feet or the interest to do something really effective. And that could take a lot of time because our broadcast fee and also because what if corruption corruption is close connected with violence in columbia. And this is really important because is like really, okay, these 2 issues. But recently that you and i, you know, they used to be one of the most, you know, politics you, on the institution, be a big threat against the fact that, sorry about that, against the director. So the director try to console the corruption with things petition. Im here receive a bit of back. Wow. So this is the level of dental pressing compared to her from very goodwill about Human Rights Defenders. But the government needs to understand that if we dont be a local capacity for super society, for the local, the state, were not doing something really less. But these are the 2nd one of the unity of course, of course, and do anything, something does increase the dominance of the situation. But if a lot of the groups 12233, i was control, it will be very difficult to call another then a solution for start running low on time. And i also want to look at maybe whats International Community should be aware of in this situation. So i want to bring in a video comment. This is from realty. So rush said land and environment Defenders Campaign should lead for global witness. The colombian government must now to and commitments into action little bit this analysis has found that columbia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for environmental defenders are in g o box. No, so most defense or is as this week reported that the families of over 1300 defenders killers in the country are still waiting for justice. The need urgent action from the government and disclosure of impunity, which is fueling photo violence against defenders. We also need the us, you and other countries in the global not to ensure that their private sector businesses in columbia did not contribute to human rights abuses faced by defenders. So sarah, i also want to bring in a comment from youtube here. This is from kyle marsden, says whatever age United States provides needs to stop involving handing out munitions and fire arms and notes. And the last video comment, she talked about the global north needs to be aware of contributing to the situation. Can you talk from an International Perspective of what the International Community needs to do here to support columbia . So definitely say ive seen a fit there is definitely on aspect to engage with. Thats the role of the business in the private sector is might, they might not be directly engaged on the 5, the slides. But the true face they, they are business are being benefits of by the fact that the spenders are those are spending on the ways for the implementation of this truck type of largest truck to the big projects in columbia. So those be those have benefits for the fact that those a friend that have been taking out of the way have been forced this place and from the communities. I think in the case of columbia, its been, we use a Civil Society who has developed deep knowledge and deep political understanding of the issues of protection is the same as the sites in columbia. So i dont think we have knowledge to offer what we have to offer. Its so the direct tv is support to sustain the livelihoods of those communities. Because ultimately those Human Rights Defenders are a duplicate. And being keyless for defending the ways of believe things for defense committed to. So i think what thinks and actually can mean that has to do in the end of the day is to support the livelihoods of those communities. And of course a duplicate and supports they and thats westphal for better for that to protection. And i think if we can, if you need to use that, since we must have issue on the challenge of protection, we have to add the absence of the state in the different parts of the country. And also the Critical Role that Human Rights Defenders are play still in the absence of the country the, the state for the implementation of the piece of equipment. The fact that the state of the south end of the product line of the disagreement, the fact that the human rights of centers and can means are taking up the road. So you, clement, the beast thats so important for them means that they have been taken care of as priest. Sarah, this is, this is the final seconds of the show. Thank you so much for those final words on this. Well keep watching this story here and out of there in english, you can always find is it stream that out . Is there a. Com . Thanks for what to the a the focus on which is in will be attending the summit in south africa with an international warrant out for the rest for suspected war. Fine. Can you travel anywhere . Bowed. Im told stories from across asia in the pacific. 101 east. Its crazy d issues affecting the cloves, most populous region. 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