We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to suspend all military assistance to the government of Colombia.”
Details of Petition:
“We do not believe that further UK military aid should be provided to the Colombian armed forces until: 1. Collusion between the Colombian government and illegal paramilitary groups ceases; 2. The most basic human rights standards are adhered to and in particular, the killing and persecution of trade unionists, human rights defenders, journalists, students and indigenous peoples is stopped; 3. The Colombian Government fully implements all of the human rights recommendations made by the United Nations.”
· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage
Read the Government’s response
UK policy and assistance to Colombia is focused on helping resolve the country’s internal conflict; reducing poverty and inequality; promoting better human rights; and tackling the flow of drugs from Colombia to the UK.
The UK Government does not believe that it is systematic Colombian Government policy to collude or maintain links with current or former paramilitary groups. Reports of links between members of Colombian State structures and illegal armed groups are indeed a concern, however we are encouraged by Colombia’s efforts to root out this problem. We agree that it is of the utmost importance that human rights standards in Colombia are both improved and adhered to. Violence and persecution, whomever it is directed against must be brought to an end. The UK Government strongly supports the crucial role of those people striving for a safer, more prosperous Colombia, including human rights defenders, students, journalists, NGOs and indigenous peoples. It is unacceptable that they are targeted, and we believe the Colombian Government are serious in its attempts to protect and promote their work. We agree that it is imperative that the Colombian Government fully implement the UN’s human rights recommendations, and we are determined to help them do so.
It is for these reasons that we do not intend to suspend any part of our assistance package to Colombia, including our important work in improving adherence to international human rights norms by the Colombian Armed Forces; in humanitarian demining; and in counter narcotics. This carefully targeted and monitored assistance is helping Colombia achieve greater respect for human rights, peace and security.
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