PRESS RELEASE

 

THE RAPPORETURSHIP ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS DEPRIVED OF FREEDOM OF THE IACHR AND THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TO PAY A JOINT VISIT TO COLOMBIA

Nº 38/05

 

The Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons Deprived of Freedom of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Florentín Meléndez, is to pay a joint visit to Colombia with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The visit will be conducted at the invitation of the Government of Colombia in order to observe the human rights situation in detention centers in that country.

 

The observation will begin on Sunday, November 13, 2005, with a visit to the El Buen Pastor de Santafe de Bogotá penitentiary, which has over 1,000 female inmates.

 

The Palo Gordo penitentiary in the municipality of Girón, Santander, will be visited on Monday, November 14. It contains imprisoned members of illegal armed groups, especially the self-defense and guerilla groups. The IACHR has ordered precautionary measures on behalf of persons held in that center.

 

The Vista Hermosa penitentiary and police stations in Cali will be visited on Tuesday, November 15, and Wednesday, November 16.

 

In the course of his visit to Colombia, the Rapporteur, Florentín Meléndez, will meet with senior authorities in the Colombian government and with civil society organizations.

 

He will also take part in the Workshops on Prison in Colombia organized by the Office of the High Commissioner and the National University of Colombia, which will be held on November 9 to 11 in Bogotá.

 

 

Washington, D.C., November 8, 2005