PBI highlights Guatemala, Colombia and Honduras at Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on non-recurrence

Video of presentation (starting at 1:42:57).

On September 16, Kim-Mai Vu of Peace Brigades International presented a statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva during the interactive dialogue with Fabián Salvioli, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.

The full statement is as follows:

“Thank you Mr President,

We welcome the Rapporteur’s report.

In Guatemala, the advances of previous years in transitional justice have not yet reached non-state actors and parallel powers with responsibility for crimes during the internal armed conflict. Today these actors are linked for example to the “Foundation against Terrorism” or to private associations of farmers, who publicly promote the dismantling of all advances in administration of justice for war crimes and attack, defame and call for attacks on human rights defenders, operators of justice and victims’ organizations that demand justice and rights.

In Colombia, we welcome the new macro case of the JEP [Special Jurisdiction for Peace] on Crimes committed by the public force, other State agents, in association with paramilitary groups or civilian third parties, essential for the non-repetition. Likewise, we underline the importance of the recent opening of the macro case on violence sexual and gender-based. We urge the JEP to move forward as quickly as possible in the cases, ensuring the genuine centrality of the victims, their protection, and fully respecting their rights to own sanctions that they consider restorative. We encourage implementation of the report’s recommendations of the Truth Commission, as well as its dissemination and pedagogy. We trust in a quick convocation of the Committee for the Selection of the new address of the Search Unit for Disappeared Persons, to advance their work.

In Honduras, the 2009 coup led to an increase in human rights violations and serious attacks against defenders. We consider four key moments for the promotion and guarantees of transitional justice: the selection of the Supreme Court of Justice, the installation of a Commission against Impunity; the issuance of the resolution on “Fraud on the Gualcarque” where the term stipulated by law has expired, and the guarantee of progress in the agreement signed this February between organizations Peasant Women and the State in the Resolution of the Bajo Aguan Conflict.

Thank you very much.”

To watch the video of the presentation (at 1:42:57) click here.