Amnesty urges Hague to put human rights before trade in talks with Colombia
Amnesty urges Hague to put human rights before trade in talks with Colombia
Posted: 06 June 2013
William Hague’s commitment to tackling impunity for sexual violence will face a fresh challenge this week when he comes face to face with the Colombian President in London.
President Juan Manuel Santos is in London to promote trade between the two countries, but Amnesty International believes the Foreign Secretary should not allow a focus on commercial diplomacy to come at the cost of raising human rights.
The timing of the visit is crucial given the on-going peace talks in Colombia. But a stable peace will remain elusive unless the two sides put an end to human rights abuses, including unlawful killings and sexual violence, and the Colombian authorities make a firm a commitment to bring to justice all those responsible for such abuses.
Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, said:
“Given the Foreign Secretary’s leadership around G8 on tackling impunity for sexual violence in conflict, Colombia’s lack of progress on combating conflict-related sexual crimes must be top of the agenda.
“In Colombia, the guerrilla, paramilitaries and members of the security forces have used sexual violence to sow terror within communities, scare people off their land, and silence those campaigning on behalf of survivors of sexual violence.
More:
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=20813