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Human Rights Watch on Tuesday denounced the recent attack on Colombian congressman and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, calling it an assault on the very pillars of democracy.
HRW Americas director Juanita Goebertus stated: “The attack against Miguel Uribe Turbay is a chilling reminder of the darkest chapters of political violence in Colombia.” She added: “Colombian authorities should investigate this heinous crime, avoid incendiary political rhetoric, and strengthen protections for all political candidates.”
Uribe Turbay, a congressman for the right-wing party Centro Democrático and an opposition favorite to win the election, was shot by a 15-year-old boy during a campaign run in the country’s capital city of Bogotá. The attempted assassination comes at a time of great unrest, with homicides increasing by 20.9 percent, kidnappings increasing by 34.8 percent, and forced displacements quadrupling since 2016. In January, Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared a state of emergency due to the escalating unrest.
Instances of political violence in the wake of presidential elections are not unheard of in the country of over 53 million people, with the most recent assassination attempt reflecting the 1989 assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento. A year later, presidential candidate Carlos Pizarro Leongómez and politician Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa were also gunned down by paramilitary organizations who disapproved of their attempts to demobilize them. The bloodshed and atrocities perpetrated by paramilitary groups and guerrilla organizations in the country have led to Colombia enduring the longest-running armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. In 2023, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found Colombia responsible for the mass killing of over 6,000 members of the Patriotic Union Political Party.
Although the Colombian government struck a peace deal in 2016 with the guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which led to an initial decline in violence, armed groups have since resorted to other forms of violence, such as massacres in remote areas and recruiting children to align with their agenda. Mass internal forced displacements in the area arose due to political violence, with armed groups “cleansing” civilians from regions dominated by their enemies or as a method to assert dominance over areas of significant economic or strategic importance.
Colombia’s violent past seems to be trickling into the future, affecting the way that future generations view legitimate democratic processes in the country. Previous efforts, such as the issuance of Decree 1290/2008, to provide reparations to individuals who had suffered from violations to their fundamental rights due to the actions of armed groups have largely been futile. Between the years of 1986 to 1994, over 20,000 civilians fell victim to political violence.
The post Colombia presidential candidate attack condemned as erosion of democracy appeared first on JURIST - News.
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HRW Americas director Juanita Goebertus stated: “The attack against Miguel Uribe Turbay is a chilling reminder of the darkest chapters of political violence in Colombia.” She added: “Colombian authorities should investigate this heinous crime, avoid incendiary political rhetoric, and strengthen protections for all political candidates.”
Uribe Turbay, a congressman for the right-wing party Centro Democrático and an opposition favorite to win the election, was shot by a 15-year-old boy during a campaign run in the country’s capital city of Bogotá. The attempted assassination comes at a time of great unrest, with homicides increasing by 20.9 percent, kidnappings increasing by 34.8 percent, and forced displacements quadrupling since 2016. In January, Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared a state of emergency due to the escalating unrest.
Instances of political violence in the wake of presidential elections are not unheard of in the country of over 53 million people, with the most recent assassination attempt reflecting the 1989 assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento. A year later, presidential candidate Carlos Pizarro Leongómez and politician Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa were also gunned down by paramilitary organizations who disapproved of their attempts to demobilize them. The bloodshed and atrocities perpetrated by paramilitary groups and guerrilla organizations in the country have led to Colombia enduring the longest-running armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. In 2023, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found Colombia responsible for the mass killing of over 6,000 members of the Patriotic Union Political Party.
Although the Colombian government struck a peace deal in 2016 with the guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which led to an initial decline in violence, armed groups have since resorted to other forms of violence, such as massacres in remote areas and recruiting children to align with their agenda. Mass internal forced displacements in the area arose due to political violence, with armed groups “cleansing” civilians from regions dominated by their enemies or as a method to assert dominance over areas of significant economic or strategic importance.
Colombia’s violent past seems to be trickling into the future, affecting the way that future generations view legitimate democratic processes in the country. Previous efforts, such as the issuance of Decree 1290/2008, to provide reparations to individuals who had suffered from violations to their fundamental rights due to the actions of armed groups have largely been futile. Between the years of 1986 to 1994, over 20,000 civilians fell victim to political violence.
The post Colombia presidential candidate attack condemned as erosion of democracy appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.