A prominent Colombian human rights lawyer has called on the UK legal profession to help protect the lives of practitioners in his Latin American homeland.


Reynaldo Villalba Vargas, a lawyer with the Colectivo José Alvear Restrepo (CJAR) in Bogota, which represents people persecuted for political reasons and seeks to bring to justice those who are responsible, met Law Society president Fiona Woolf last week and discussed the problems faced by lawyers in Colombia.



In a country that has been locked in civil war for more than 40 years, lawyers are regularly threatened, detained, assassinated, or forced to leave the country, for working to bring cases against paramilitary groups or the security services.



Mr Villalba Vargas, who has been detained by police, threatened and followed, told the Gazette: 'The climate of impunity means that nothing is done to prevent human rights abuses and threats against lawyers working on these cases are rarely investigated.'



He added: 'Lawyers are often aligned to the cause they are working for and the government has sought to link them with terrorists in order to prevent their work. With a state regulated profession and no representative body, there is no one to speak out for lawyers in Colombia.'



The Colombian government provides lawyers with bullet-proof jackets and armour-plated cars, but CJAR lawyers also rely on the Peace Brigades International - a non-governmental organisation that provides unarmed international volunteers to accompany lawyers on dangerous visits. Their presence reduces the likelihood of harm because of the threat of international exposure of the actions.



Speaking at an event hosted by the City of Westminster and Holborn Law Society, Mr Villalba Vargas told solicitors in London that their support was essential to strengthen the work of lawyers in his country. He urged international delegates to go to Colombia on observation missions to experience the situation, to raise human rights concerns in Colombia with the UK and Colombian governments, and to provide assistance for lawyers forced into exile.



'Every piece of international spotlight on them helps to ensure their safety,' he added.



Ms Woolf said: 'The most important thing is to have a well-designed project that will make a difference on a long-term sustainable basis - training on human rights for law students and the judiciary in Colombia is essential.'



Catherine Baksi