Colombian Displacement Second Only To Syria

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTÁ, Colombia – The number of internally displaced persons in Colombia has surpassed 6 million, according to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees. The report surveys the number of refugees, displaced persons, asylum seekers and “others of concern.”

The IDP settlement of Altos de la Florida, Soacha, Colombia. [Photo courtesy of UNHCR]
Although this year’s report identifies a decrease in the number of reported refugees, this is mainly attributed to Venezuela’s revision of the reported number of Colombian refugees in the country. Despite the decrease, Colombia has the highest number of refugees and internally displaced persons in South America, and is second only to Syria world-wide. There are 6.4 million Colombians falling into this category. Out of those, 137,000 are internally displaced persons. Only Syria has a greater number of refugees and internally displaced persons, with about 12 million people falling into this category.

“It’s not just the FARC,” says UNHCR Colombia Representative Martin Gottwald. Forty percent of human rights violations in Colombia are perpetrated by new “irregular groups,” many of which have evolved from long demobilized paramilitary groups.

The high number of internally displaced persons and refugees are the result of 50 years of conflict between the Colombian government and different groups, including the FARC, or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The FARC and the Colombian government have engaged in peace talks on-and-off since November 2012.

The release of the report comes on the heels of the 2015 Global Peace Index, which ranked Colombia as 146 out of 162 countries worldwide. The report named the high number of displaced persons and refugees as a driving factor behind the low score.

About a week before the release of the report, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres publicly expressed concern over the effects of the ongoing conflict. He called for “solutions… to guarantee the safety and dignity of refugees and people displaced inside Colombia,” and said that the UNHCR would be ready to support the peace process.

Guterres also commented on the rising number of internally displaced persons and refugees worldwide, citing that one in every 122 people is a refugee, internally displaced person, or asylum seeker. Criticizing global inaction on the issue, he said: “It is terrifying that on the one hand there is more and more impunity for those starting conflicts, and on the other there is seeming utter inability of the international community to work together to stop wars and build and preserve peace.”

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – Profiles: Colombia’s armed groups – 29 August 2013

UNHCR – UN High Commissioner for Refugees expresses concern over fresh fighting in Colombia – 11 June 2015

International Business Times – Latin America Less Peaceful in 2015 Due to Rising Instability: Report – 17 June 2015

Miami Herald – U.N. Report: Colombia continues to lead world in displaced, refugees – 18 June 2015

UNHCR – World-wide displacement hits all-time high as war and prosecution increase – 18 June 2015

AU Voices Disapproval of ICC While Bashir Escapes Arrest

By Max Bartels 

Impunity Watch, Managing Editor 

 

Johannesburg, South Africa 

African Union chairman and Zimbabwean head-of-state Robert Mugabe voiced his disapproval of the international criminal court on Tuesday after the court issued an order for the arrest of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. Bashir was attending a summit of African leaders in Johannesburg, South Africa when, following the meeting he quickly boarded his plane and flew back to Khartoum to avoid being taken into custody.Bashir is the subject of the arrest warrant for genocide regarding his as president of Sudan, which includes the region of Darfur. According to the United Nations 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and the ethnic conflict still continues today.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (Photo curtesy of the Economist)

Mugabe and South African President Jacob Zuma voiced their disapproval of the International Court and its actions on the African continent. Mugabe is reported to have stated that the International Criminal Court is not wanted in Africa. Mugabe also claimed that Zuma shared this believe stating Zuma told him he would not allow Bashir to be arrested in South Africa. South Africa is a member of the statute, which created the International Criminal Court, and Zuma’s alleged statements have caused many in the international community to demand action from the Court and the United Nations. Nick Kaufman, a lawyer who is representing victims in Darfur demanded the Court’s prosecutor file for a formal finding of “non-compliance” and report it to the United Nations.

South Africa released a statement stating that since Bashir was attending a meeting of the African Union he enjoyed diplomatic immunity while in South Africa. A South African court disregarded the claim of immunity and issued a warrant for Bashir’s arrest but by then he had already departed. Mugabe went further in his statements against he International Court saying that now many countries regret signing on to the treaty. Many African leaders have expressed concern that the Court targets African heads of state. It is true that the indictees of the Court have all been African, however, seven out fo nine were refred to the court by African governemtns. The Court has also initiated investigations in Afghanistan, Columbia, Georigia, Honduras, Iraq, South Korea and Ukraine.

For more information, please see:

The Associated Press — AU Head Mugabe Says International Court Unwelcome in Africa — 16 June, 2015 

Voice of America — AU Summit Ends With Growing Concern About International Court — 16 June, 2015

The Guardian — Give a Voice to Darfur Victims in ICC Debate — 18 June, 2015 

The Economist — Justice Delayed — 18 June, 2015

British Spies Moved After Snowden Files Decrypted by Russia, China

by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

LONDON, England–

British intelligence agents have been moved due to deciphered documents that both Russia and China have access to, a high-ranking government official said. The encrypted documents, stolen in 2013 by American whistleblower Edward Snowden, were recently cracked and placed a number of UK spies at risk. Both Russia and China have specific information that led to the spies being moved, but none have been injured thus far.

American whistleblower Edward Snowden downloaded 1.7 million documents before leaving the US. He previously stated the encrypted documents could not be broken. (Photo courtesy of BBC).

The information obtained by Russia and China placed a substantial burden on how the UK receives information, and gave the countries knowledge of how British intelligence operates in the area. Although Snowden did not have access to British intelligence databases, the UK government feared that Russia and China could identify agents by certain communications listed in the databases.

Snowden had previously stated that “no intelligence service” could decode the 1.7 million documents he stole, and that he would be able to keep the information from “being compromised even in the highest threat counter-intelligence environments.”

This news comes after Home Secretary Theresa May informed the House of Commons’ home affairs select committee in March about the “damage” the Snowden leaks had produced to the country’s security and intelligence gathering capabilities. The leak, Secretary May claimed, had “an impact on the ability of our agencies to do the work they need to do.”

Conversely, the human rights group Liberty commented that the news of agents being moved comes days after a counter-terrorist watchdog group released a report that suggested new and clearer laws should come up for debate in Parliament. The current situation, according to David Anderson QC, is “undemocratic, unnecessary, and- in the long run, intolerable.”

Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, questions the claims agents were moved. She believes that the revelation comes at a convenient time to rile up the public to support a bill that invades personal liberty and privacy, to expand the government’s intelligence collection powers. Other privacy campaigners state that no evidence has been presented to corroborate allegations that intelligence gathering capabilities had been hindered by the Snowden leaks, and that he had done a public service by revealing the scope of government mass surveillance.

For more information, please see–

BBC– Surveillance powers: New law needed, says terror watchdog— 11 June 2015

Al Jazeera– Report: UK moved spies after Snowden leaks were cracked— 14 June 2015

BBC– British spies ‘moved after Snowden files read’— 14 June 2015

The Guardian– UK under pressure to respond to latest Edward Snowden claims–14 June 2015

Independent–Timing of claims that British spies were withdrawn over Edward Snowden documents is ‘extremely convenient’, say campaigners–14 June 2015

The Telegraph– British spies removed from operations after Russia and China crack codes to leaked Snowden files— 14 June 2015