Colombia is setting up a special prosecution team dedicated to investigating the assassination of human rights lawyers following talks between government officials and a delegation of high-profile UK legal professionals.

Members of the Law Society, the bar and the Institute of Legal Executives met the country’s human rights Minister, Carlos Franco, at the end of last month. Discussions centred on widespread concerns that Colombian human rights lawyers are branded as terrorists by pro-government paramilitary groups and are therefore regarded as legitimate assassination targets. Colombian lawyers fleeing the country have claimed they were intimidated by paramilitaries.

The delegation, whose visit followed a protracted campaign, successfully lobbied the vice president to create a special unit to investigate the murders. The unit is to be subject to international scrutiny, along the lines of the unit set up by the International Labour Organisation to investigate the deaths of Colombian trade unionists. The scrutineer is likely to be the Law Society, International Bar Association or Avocats Sans Frontières.

Sara Chandler, pro bono director at the College of Law, who led the UK delegation, described Colombia as a ‘conflict zone’, but added that she was heartened to have met so many courageous lawyers.

Chandler said: ‘International scrutiny of the prosecution team will ensure justice for the families of murdered lawyers, while putting pressure on the authorities to stop the death squads once and for all.’

Law Society human rights policy adviser Courtenay Barklem said international scrutiny was essential since the problem went to the top of the Colombian government. ‘Forty congressman are currently under investigation for alleged paramilitary links,’ she added.

Delegation member David Mayhew, a litigation and arbitration partner at City firm Herbert Smith, said the Colombian government has also made a commitment to create a national professional association for lawyers. The country presently has no law society or bar association. ‘The country’s complex political and economic problems impact upon the rule of law. Any initiative that helps lawyers go about their jobs is progress indeed,’ he said.

The Colombian Embassy in London declined to comment.