IACHR Calls on the Colombian State to Investigate and Provide Clear Information on the Putumayo Operation

In a communiqué dated April 12, 2022, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemned the systematic violence against indigenous peoples, black, Afro, Raizal, Palenquera and peasant communities in Colombia, which has recently occurred in the country and which especially affects its leaders and social leaders.

The IACHR mainly referred to the military operation carried out on March 28 by the National Army in the municipality of Puerto Leguizamo (Putumayo), in which 11 people were killed and several were injured.

After the operation, the Ministry of Defence reported that the deceased persons belonged to illegal armed groups. The State indicated the legitimacy of the operation, since it was carried out in a region with high criminal activity and territorial dispute by illegal armed groups.

In view of what happened and following complaints from civil organizations and indigenous peoples, which warned that the victims were civilians and not guerrillas, as stated by the national government, the IACHR called on the Colombian State “to investigate with due diligence and to take concerted preventive action with the groups ethnic-racial and peasant communities, together with the practical and effective implementation of the commitments assumed in the Peace Agreement”.

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Among the complaints submitted by the organizations, it is noted that there are several persons from the community who are missing. The IACHR confirmed that it received information about an alleged refusal of medical assistance required by the persons affected during the military operation.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS). The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region. In its statement on Tuesday, the IACHR “urges Colombia to strengthen its integral presence in the territory and to ensure a dialogue with organizations of ethnic-racial and peasant groups.”

It is important to note that in the latest report by the Pares Foundation entitled “Lead is what there is”, it is detailed that in 420 municipalities in the country there are presence of armed groups, ie in 37 per cent of the national territory.

In its communication, the international body requested the national authorities to “continue to carry out research under protocols that avoid stigmatization of victims and to take the necessary measures to repair this damage by incorporating an intercultural approach, which considers the impacts on victims, their families and their families and their communities”.

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The IACHR is composed of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence. In his letter, he emphasized the State's obligation to provide clear information on the number of persons killed, injured, captured and disappeared during the above-mentioned military operation.

In Colombia, the ordinary courts are responsible for receiving complaints of human rights violations and it is within its competence to clarify what happened. Against this background, the Commission invited the institutions “to continue to diligently investigate this case, which includes as one of the hypotheses of crime, activities for the defense of human rights and territory, as well as to punish material and intellectual perpetrators”.

Finally, the Commission reiterated its conviction regarding the need for the State to redouble its efforts in the comprehensive implementation of the Final Peace Agreement, in particular its Ethnic Chapter, and to adopt urgent measures to guarantee the rights of ethnic peoples.

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