As is widely known and as has been proven in court documents, at the behest of expresident Álvaro Uribe Vélez’s government the Jose Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective was targeted for systematic persecution by the DAS and other intelligence agencies. Uribe’s government considered our work defending human rights to be “terrorist” activities and a threat to the government and national security. Even the Interior Ministry’s Protection Program was used to persecute us and monitor our activities as human rights defenders.
We had hoped that the relentless persecution against the Lawyers’ Collective would come to an end under the current administration of President Juan Manuel Santos. However, recent months have seen increased persecution, harassment, threats, and other attacks. Faced with the government’s silence on our repeated requests to heighten our security measures, we are forced to RETURN the DAS protection scheme, consisting of security vehicles and their respective drivers.
The State has not complied with political protection measures, while physical protection measures have been precarious, and have even been used to illegally spy on us.
As a result of the deplorable experiences and persecution it has suffered, the Jose Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective is announcing that it will no longer accept any protection measures offered by the DAS or any other entity that carries out intelligence activities. The Lawyers’ Collective will also refuse protection measures provided by private security firms. Consequently, today, April 7, we are returning to the DAS the vehicles and staff with which the Program had provided us.
We have also sent a letter to the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, explaining the reasons for our forced decision. In this letter, we have requested a meeting with the President, in order to discuss solutions that would provide the comprehensive protection measures required by the Jose Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective. The Lawyers’ Collective informs the national and international community that it holds the Colombian State exclusively responsible for anything that may occur to any of its members or their families.
