Colombia: Information on whether Colombians failing to obtain refugee status abroad would be subject to reprisals upon returning to Colombia
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | COL16507.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Colombia: Information on whether Colombians failing to obtain refugee status abroad would be subject to reprisals upon returning to Colombia, 1 February 1994, COL16507.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abc268.html [accessed 15 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on whether Colombians citizens returning to Colombia would be subject to reprisals for having sought refugee status abroad is currently unavailable to the DIRB. However, according to a representative of the Inter-Church Committee for Human Rights in Latin America (ICCHRLA) in Toronto, individuals previously targeted by paramilitary groups could face extrajudicial execution if ever they returned to Colombia (ibid.).
According to human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, victims of political violence can be found among students, teachers, members of left-wing political asociations, human rights militants peasants living in combat zones, trade unionists, ex-guerrillas, prostitutes and other social undesirables', soldiers, police and combatants themselves" (Human Rights Watch Dec. 1993, 82; Amnesty International 1993, 97-98). For additional information on the victims of political violence, please consult the attached documents.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Amnesty International. 1993. Amnesty International Report 1993. New York: Amnesty International USA.
Human Rights Watch. December 1993. Human Rights Watch World Report 1994. New York: Human Rights Watch.
Inter-Church Committee for Human Rights in Latin America (ICCHRLA), Toronto. 8 February 1994. telephone interview with representative.
Attachments
Amnesty International. 1993. Amnesty International Report 1993. New York: Amnesty International U.S.A., pp. 97-100.
Human Rights Watch. December 1993. Human Rights Watch World Report 1994. New York: Human Rights Watch, pp. 82-88.
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR). July 1993. Critique: Review of the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1992. New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, pp. 67-73.
