NGOs call on Santos to live up to human rights promises

30 September 2011: An NGO report into Juan Manuel Santos’ first year as president of Colombia has praised the government for its change in rhetoric and policy but criticized it for failing to improve the situation on the ground.

The report, published on Thursday by U.S. NGOs the Washington Office on Latin America and the U.S. Office on Colombia, examined the Santos government’s record on issues such as human rights, protection of vulnerable groups, disappearances and displacement, judicial impunity and tackling the new wave of paramilitarism.

Diana Arango, the program director at U.S. Office on Colombia, told Colombia Reports there had been a “marked change” between the previous administration of Alvaro Uribe and the Santos government, calling it a “positive step.”

Arango said, “for eight years we had a very hostile environment against human right defenders and now we see that the Santos administration is more open to dialogue and recognizing human rights defenders and human rights … as an important issue.”  Read full story at Colombia Reports