The Inter-American Court of Human Rights finds Colombia is responsible for the kidnap, rape and torture of the journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights finds Colombia is responsible for the kidnap, rape and torture of the journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima
Photo: Abel Cardenas/El Tiempo. https://cpj.org/2021/10/inter-american-court-of-human-rights-finds-colombia-responsible-in-jineth-bedoya-case/

Bethânia da Silva

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

 

On October 18, 2021,the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled, in the case Bedoya Lima y otra vs. Colombia that the State of Colombia is internationally responsible for the human rights violations perpetrated against Jineth Bedoya Lima. Mrs Bedoya Lima is a journalist and on May 25, 2000, she was kidnaped by members of paramilitary forces in front of “Cárcel Modelo” and she was subjected to humiliating and extremely violent treatment, during which she suffered severe verbal, physical and sexual assaults. The Court noted the existence of "serious, precise and concordant indications" of State involvement in the events. Due to this, the Court declared the international responsibility of the State for the violation of the rights to personal integrity, honor and dignity, freedom of expression and judicial guarantees to the detriment of the journalist, due to the lack of investigations into the threats made against her.

  

Sources and further reading:

Inter-American Court of Human Rights. “Colombia es responsable por el secuestro y tortura de la periodista Jineth Bedoya Lima.” October 18, 2021.

https://corteidh.or.cr/docs/comunicados/cp_73_2021.pdf