IACHR
Press Release
IACHR and Colombian Branch of the OHCHR Insist on the Need to Keep up Talks, Stress their Call for Non-Violence in Cauca
April 4, 2019
IACHR Press and Communication Office
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Washington, D.C./Bogota - The Inter-American Commission on Human
Rights (IACHR) and the Colombian branch of the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) express their
firm hope that dialogue will persist and that the Colombian
government and the social uprising known as Minga that has been
launched in Cauca will soon reach an agreement.
The IACHR and the Colombian branch of the OHCHR stress that the
right to social protest is a human right and that such protests must
always be peaceful, whatever manifestations and actions they
involve. They note that, during public demonstrations, force must
only be used in exceptional circumstances, whenever it is strictly
necessary in compliance with international standards.
“Dialogue is essential to respond to social demands, and it is
the only way to contain violence. An approach based on human rights
always paves the way to strengthen democracy and the rule of law,”
said the IACHR and the Colombian branch of the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The two international organizations also express their concern
about the violence that has already caused several deaths and left
several people injured—both mingueros and officers of the National
Police—as well as involving attacks against the facilities of the
Cauca Regional Indigenous Council (CRIC, by its Spanish acronym),
the indigenous healthcare provider in Popayán, Cauca, and the
Committee to Promote the Integration of the Colombian Massif (CIMA,
by its Spanish acronym). The staff at both CRIC and CIMA protect the
human rights of residents of the area.
Finally, the IACHR and the Colombian branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stress their commitment, support and presence in Colombia in a context of respect for human rights.
No. 087/19