On Monday, 27 March 2023, we launched the VII International Caravana of Jurists to Colombia report of its delegation in August 2022 and celebrated the Colombian Caravana’s 15th anniversary.

The session was moderated by @Sara Chandler, co-founder of the Colombian Caravana, a Caravana member since the first Caravana in 2008 and part of the Report’s editorial team, and @Courtenay Barklem, a Caravana member in 2008 and the recent 2022 Caravana. The virtual panellists from Colombia were @DoraLucyArias, one of the lawyers who requested and promoted the presence of international jurists in Colombia in 2008 due to the threats and violence experienced by lawyers, and @GloriaSilva who was also part of that first Caravana and many others, including 2022 and is now part of Equipo Juridico Pueblos. From Canada, @Heather Neun, the report’s lead author, shared the report’s main findings and recommendations with us.  We had virtual participants from the UK, Spain, Canada, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Colombia.

We reaffirmed the need to continue the Caravanas to raise awareness and protect and save the lives of lawyers and human rights defenders in Colombia. We reaffirmed how their work is essential for access to justice. The success of the Caravana delegations has been because they have arisen from the needs and demands of Colombian lawyers, to which international lawyers have joined in solidarity. In 2023 we will continue with more presentations of the Report in the United Kingdom, Colombia, and several of the Caravanistas’ countries. We will be preparing for the VIII Caravan in 2024.

Picture : Participants in London during the Launch

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