Colombia: State protection available to persons who do not cooperate with drug traffickers who attempt to recruit their services
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 29 November 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | COL33167.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Colombia: State protection available to persons who do not cooperate with drug traffickers who attempt to recruit their services, 29 November 1999, COL33167.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad5350.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on possible state protection for persons denouncing drug trafficking activities can be found in COL32196.E of 16 July 1999. Information on the activities of the Ministry of the Interior Risk Committee that adds to that provided in COL32196.E is found in a June 1999 article from the Colombian daily El Espectador. The report states that since 1998 the Comité de Reglamentación y Evaluación de Riesgos (Risk Evaluation and Regulation Committee) had approved protection measures for 11 locales of human rights and labour organizations, which include installation of closed-circuit television cameras and armoured doors, and personal protection measures for 8 labour leaders who had received death threats, providing them with a vehicle and a bodyguard (5 June 1999).
The Human Resources Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior also contributed to protection efforts, providing in one year 69 bullet-proof vests to labour and human rights organizations, 76 million pesos for security personnel, and 17 vehicles for threatened persons at a cost of 521 million pesos (ibid.). By mid-1999 the Directorate has given persons at risk 30 paging devices out of 50 that had been purchased, and had planned the purchase of an additional 100 paging devices (ibid.). The Directorate has also been working towards training both bodyguards and threatened persons on preventive actions (ibid.). A labour representative reportedly stated to El Espectador that protection measures "leave much to be desired," as in the first semester 16 union leaders had been murdered; the representative also stated that "despite requests, protection is not guaranteed," and added that there have been difficulties in coordinating schedules with the escorts or bodyguards (ibid.).
No specific references to state protection measures for private businesses could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
El Espectador [Bogota]. 5 June 1999. "Seguridad para personas amenazadas."
Additional Sources Consulted
El Espectador [Bogota]. Internet search engine. 1997-1999.
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 1997-1998.
Latin American Regional Reports: Andean Group Report [London]. 1997-1999.
Electronic sources: Internet, IRB Databases, Global NewsBank, Refworld, WNC.
Note: This list is not exhaustive. Country-specific books available in the Resource Centre are not included.