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COLOMBIA
CASE No. CO/138 - GUSTAVO PETRO URREGO

Resolution adopted by consensus by the IPU Governing Council at its 179th session
(Geneva, 18 October 2006)


The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the case of Mr. Gustavo Petro Urrego, a member of the Colombian House of Representatives, as outlined in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/179/11(a)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 178th session (May 2006),

Recalling that Mr. Petro has been the subject of repeated death threats, most recently in October 2005 when intelligence operations brought to light information suggesting that illegal armed groups were planning to assassinate him, and that the Deputy Attorney General subsequently wrote to the Head of the Administrative Department of Security, the Interior and Justice Minister, the Human Rights Director of that Ministry, and the Director General of the Police requesting them to provide Mr. Petro with all necessary protection,

Recalling that two house searches by the Attorney General's Office on 25 August 2004 appeared to reveal the involvement of members of the Colombian army and other State authorities in an operation (Operación Dragón) to collect sensitive information on the movements, activities and habits of specific individuals (including, according to the source, Mr. Petro), all of whom were considered to be supporters of the insurgency conducted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and that this matter was raised in Congress but reportedly did not prompt any parliamentary action; that, according to reports of the judicial authorities, on 11 August 2005, the Prosecutor General's Office ordered a disciplinary investigation into Operación Dragón with respect to certain agents attached to various State agencies and State-run enterprises and is now in the process of determining whether or not disciplinary charges can be brought under Article 161 of Law 734 of 2002; that, according to information provided by the Prosecutor General's Office, Mr. Petro is not mentioned as a victim in the investigation,

Noting that, in her latest report on the human rights situation in Colombia of May 2006 (E/CN.4/2006/9), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights "encourages the Government to adopt and implement a public policy to combat impunity ..." and exhorts the judiciary and the Office of the Prosecutor General "to investigate and sanction human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law in an adequate and timely manner",

  1. Regrets that its request for information has remained unanswered;

  2. Is confident that an investigation is under way into the previous and latest death threats against Mr. Petro and that he has been afforded the necessary security detail, and would appreciate confirmation of that;

  3. Reiterates that it would like to know why Mr. Petro is not included in the investigation into Operación Dragón, given that his name was reportedly mentioned in reports wrongly linking him to FARC, which constitutes an additional threat to his security; and would greatly appreciate clarification on this point;

  4. Reaffirms that the Colombian Congress has a special responsibility to ensure that its members can exercise their parliamentary mandate free of any threat or intimidation, and therefore calls upon the Congress to do everything in its power to ensure due administration of justice in this case, and the provision of appropriate security arrangements for Mr. Petro;

  5. Requests the Secretary General to inform the authorities and the source accordingly;

  6. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held on the occasion of the 116th Assembly (April-May 2007).
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