On 27 May 2019, it was announced that Colombian human rights lawyer Rommel Durán Castellanos had won the 24th Ludovic Trarieux Prize. On 8 November, at the official award ceremony Rommel was personally presented with his prize in the European Convention Center in the city of Luxembourg.
The Ludovic Trarieux human rights prize is a joint initiative created by the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA), the European Bar Human Rights Institute (IDHAE) and several other European national and local bar associations. It is awarded each year to “a lawyer, regardless of nationality or Bar membership, who throughout his career has demonstrated his activity for the protection of human rights, the promotion of defense rights, the supremacy of law, and the struggle against racism and intolerance in any form”. None other than the great Nelson Mandela himself was the first lawyer to win the prize in the year 1984, and many other great human rights lawyers have followed in his footsteps. This year, the honor was granted to Rommel Durán Castellanos from Bucaramanga, Colombia.
Rommel, together with the team from Corporación Equipo Jurídico Pueblos, represents displaced Colombian farmers who are claiming the restitution of their land as well as other victims of violations such as forced disappearance, torture and extrajudicial executions, often perpetrated by paramilitary groups. He is regularly subjected to intimidation and threats and has been arbitrarily detained twice. In December 2013 an attempt to take his life was made when he was shot at however, fortunately, the bullet missed.
The Jury of the Ludovic Trarieux prize acknowledged that “Rommel Durán faces very serious threats to his life due to his work as a lawyer and is often subject to harassment, campaigns of threats, attacks and stigmatization because of his work.”
Wout Albers, Christian di Nardo and Ron Rosenhart, three caravanistas from the 2018 Caravana delegation travelled to Luxembourg to witness the recognition of their friend as he collected his award.. In his thank you speech, Rommel shared his sincere appreciation for receiving the prize, stressing however that he does not consider being a human rights lawyer as his job: “I have been representing the vulnerable, the poor, the marginalized for over 13 years now. I don’t consider it as work but as a conviction or a life project and will always continue to do so”. Rommel went on to thank the international community, and more specifically the Caravana Internacional de Juristas (the delegation organised every two years by the Colombian Caravana), Lawyers for Lawyers and all those persons and other organizations that monitor his cases and personal safety: “The power of international support and pressure on the Colombian government should not be underestimated. Foreign support and case monitoring allows me to continue my day-to-day activities under calmer and less risky circumstances.”
The Caravana congratulates Rommel on being awarded this symbolic prize and will continue monitoring the personal safety of him and his colleagues carefully.
Written by Ron Rosenhart,
Dutch Lawyer, Caravanista and member of Lawyers for Lawyers