Lord Gifford QC, Gwawr Thomas and Siobhán Lloyd were amongst the signatories to a letter to The Times, on the occasion of President Santos’ recent visit to the UK. The letter urged the President to ensure the effective protection of human rights lawyers in Colombia. Fifty one Colombian human rights defenders have been assassinated in the last two years; many more have received threats to themselves or their families, or fallen victim to repressive measures hindering their ability to practice, such as interception of privileged communications or groundless disciplinary investigations.
Gwawr and Siobhán both travelled to Colombia in September 2012, as part of the Third International Caravana of Jurists. The delegation’s report into continuing threats to the rule of law was launched last month, and can be viewed here.
