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Our previous alerts have concerned the persistent problem of false charges against human rights defenders. Last week a taped telephone conversation revealed a jailed retired general and a former Minister of Justice plotting to lodge baseless criminal complaints against a priest, Javier Giraldo, and the human rights organization he helped establish.

Retired General Rito Alejo Del Río faces charges in connection with a paramilitary campaign of massacres, torture, and forced displacement.

For many years, Fr. Giraldo and the Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission have condemned human rights violations allegedly committed by the ex-general. They are now a party in the criminal proceedings against him, which may explain why he wants to discredit and intimidate them.

Call on the Colombian Attorney-General to:

• Continue the criminal investigation and prosecution of General Del Río and guarantee the Justice and Peace Commission's role in those proceedings;
• Implement systematic measures to prevent abuse of the judicial system to harass and intimidate human rights defenders.