Justice for Colombia condemns persecution of our colleague Danilo Rueda – justice for colombia

Justice for Colombia firmly condemns the political persecution of our longstanding colleague, the human rights activist and former High Commissioner for Peace Danilo Rueda.

For decades, Mr Rueda has accompanied communities impacted by the horrors of armed conflict while seeking to protect them by campaigning for peace. More than 100 British and Irish trade unionists and MPs have met with Mr Rueda on JFC delegations to Colombia to discuss peace and human rights issues. His work for peace was recognised in 2009 he was nominated for the Frontline Defenders award. Since the groundbreaking 2016 peace agreement, Colombia has made huge strides towards resolving the root causes of conflict, showing the immense value of peace talks.

In August 2022, the Petro government appointed Mr Rueda as High Commissioner for Peace to seek conflict resolution through dialogue and, by doing so, help implement the 2016 peace agreement and fulfil the state’s constitutional duty to build peace. This approach, known as Total Peace, initially brought encouraging progress through ceasefires and reduced violence. In his role as Peace Commissioner, Mr Rueda held discussions with the Gulf Clan armed group, which now forms the basis of the accusations against him.

Article 22 of the Colombian Constitution stipulates peace as a fundamental right and an obligation for all national governments. Peace talks are therefore a state obligation whenever armed groups remain active. Those targeting Mr Rueda seek to criminalise him for fulfilling lawful constitutional duties. The nature of peace processes is that discussions take place between sides that have deep disagreements and different visions of the world, and who mistrust each other. Most peace negotiations have included ceasefire agreements.

In the context of Colombia’s long social armed conflict, characterised by the killing of peace and other activists, the stigmatisation of Mr Rueda for his role in peace talks is deeply concerning. It puts his life at risk and serves to intimidate and threaten anyone who has been involved in, or might in future be involved in, peace talks. It creates barriers for future talks aimed at peace, thereby putting the safety of those communities in conflict zones at risk of greater violence.

JFC condemns attempts to persecute or criminalise those who struggle for peace and human rights in Colombia. JFC calls on the Colombian authorities to urgently act to protect the legal and human rights of Mr Rueda, to ensure due process and to reject the stigmatisation and potential criminalisation of peace activists and human rights defenders. We call on the incoming government to publicly state its commitment to peace and recognise the work for peace carried out by activists such as Mr Rueda.