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Just over a month ago, Hector Torres, a well known Colombia human rights activist (pictured), was detained and falsely accused of supporting Colombian terrorists. As president of an important human rights commission, Torres spends his time denouncing the killing, arbitrary detention, and cruel treatment of some of the poorest people in Colombia.

Human Rights First recently visited Colombia and met with government officials to discuss the problem of false charges against human rights defenders.

However, in the last month, a wave of arbitrary detentions of activists has swept Colombia, putting the lives of community leaders and members of non-governmental organizations, like Torres, in danger.

Take action now to demand that the Attorney-General stop this practice by:

• Releasing those activists from detention who are subject to unfounded criminal charges;
• Ensuring that his office in Bogota reviews all criminal investigations against human rights defenders to weed out spurious cases;
• Issuing a resolution to all prosecutors reminding them of the standards that Colombian and international law set for impartial investigations and that bar politically motivated criminal proceedings.

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Human Rights First works closely with Colombian human rights defenders who are subject to false criminal charges such as Principe Gabriel Gonzalez Arango and Ivan Cepeda Castro.

See our full report here with recommendations to the Colombian government.