Death threats are hardly uncommon in Colombia. In fact, if you are a human rights activist, they are practically guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of Diego Martinez.

Just ask Diego Martinez, executive secretary of the Permanent Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, a non-governmental organisation founded in 1979 during the Forum for the Defence of Human Rights and Democratic Freedom.

According to a six-year study by the National Centre for Historical Memory, Colombia’s conflict has claimed the lives of 220,000 people between 1958 and 2013, most of them civilians. And it remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for those would speak out against abuses.

Just last month, on Jul. 6, Martinez and his colleague, Jeison Paba Reyes, received a death threat via e-mail by an unidentified author. It was not the first.

In an interview with IPS correspondent Alexander Chaves, Martinez discussed the incident, and expressed concern about President Juan Manuel Santos’ recent claim that he would shut down the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia.

Q: Who might have been the author(s) of the e-mails, and is the incident under investigation?

A: There are various investigations brought by us because of the threats. We also have precautionary measures from the Inter-American Human Rights Commission issued recently, but in regard to the authorship generally, the previous threats have always been signed by paramilitary groups.

The last one occurred on the fourth of July in 2012 where 11 defenders across the country were threatened by a self-proclaimed anti-restitution army and they were signed by them. However, in this instance the authors that delivered this threat on Jul. 6, 2013 did not identify themselves.

We think that these threats come from sectors of the Colombian establishment and from groups of power interested in muzzling our legal actions in favour of the victims and over all of the communities that we serve and accompany.

Q: What would it mean if President Santos closed the U.N. office on human rights?

A: In our opinion, unfortunately, President Santos has given a type of ultimatum to the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights in Colombia. In the framework of the visit of [OHCHR chief] Navi Pillay, the president literally said that he does not need an office of human rights because Colombia has advanced in regards to human rights.

We believe that the shutting down of the office constitutes serious step backward in matters of democratic liberties. If you look in terms of numbers, Colombia has approximately 1,579 investigations into extrajudicial executions and only in 16 have [the perpetrators] received sentences. This means that only one percent of the cases have received justice.

Q: Why is President Santos so eager to close the office?

A: In my opinion there is an imbalanced reaction, if you will, in the exercise of powers by President Santos. It may be related to the outcry regarding an area in the northeastern part of the country, the region of Catatumbo, a forgotten area where the country folk are asking for land and alternative plans for rural development.

The government intervention has left, to date, more than 100 people seriously injured, more than 10 people in legal proceedings and four people killed by rifle shots. Clearly, according to reports that we have obtained in visits to the region, these shots came from the area where army snipers and the national police were found.

So, we think that the country is in a kind of silent abduction by the military forces, and we have to recognise that has to do with the effectiveness of the judicial and executive power.

Q: What are the future endeavours of the Permanent Committee for the Defence of Human Rights?

A: Today we are betting on bringing great initiatives. The Committee, since 1979, has been calling for an event to articulate matters on human rights. This year we have decided to assemble for Oct. 25 and 26, the 12th National Forum of Human Rights that has been held since 1979, more than 35 years.

The Committee’s priorities for this year are related to positive education, dialogue with the authorities, and strengthening our regional committees.

Q: What inspired you to become a human rights defender?

A: My inspiration came from a defender killed in Cucuta about eight years ago, Mr. Carlos Bernal, in a region devastated by the paramilitary phenomenon. His murder is still unsolved. Since that moment, I decided to work in favour of improving the conditions in which a lot of people live.

I want to say that in each journey that we take, and I travel to many rural areas, I was impressed by the high capacity that the humble people, the country people, the people who do not have many resources, who sometimes do not have a cell phone or do not have money to make a telephone call, as they face with total honesty and with a spirit of humility and sacrifice and plain conviction in freedom and human rights, to confront the crimes of power and crimes that are systematic. It seems to me that THAT was the major inspiration that we all receive.

With a little over a year to go before NATO begins the drawdown of its troops in Afghanistan, predictions about the country’s future run the gamut from utterly bleak to incredibly hopeful.

Some say that the population of 35 million has been hardened by war, while deadly militant attacks, including most recently on the presidential palace in the capital Kabul, bode badly for peace.

But prominent members of civil society are daring to be optimistic, citing the country’s great strides in school enrolment, women’s rights and media freedom as reasons to celebrate.

This last gain, in particular, has cast a positive light on the war-torn country, since a vibrant press is a crucial indicator of a strong democracy.

On the sidelines of an Open Society Foundation (OSF) panel in New York entitled ‘Afghanistan’s Next Generation’, IPS correspondent Alexander Chaves sat down with panelist Parwiz Kawa, editor-in-chief of Hasht e Subh Daily, Afghanistan’s leading newspaper, to discuss how new laws and communications technology have come together to strengthen the media landscape as the country prepares for a new era.

Excerpts from the interview follow.

Q: What is the legal landscape like for media practitioners?

A:  In accordance with the constitution, Afghanistan has a mass media law…that is much stronger than the laws in any other country in the region, including Pakistan, Iran, China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and others. The law recognises the importance of the freedom of expression, and does not seek to censor journalists. That has been the main reason for the media’s progress…in the last 12 years.

Q: What does this law look like in practice?

A: In a legal sense, the environment for media practitioners is good, but…we continue to experience problems because those in power – mostly warlords – do not respect the law. Also Afghanistan is still a war zone, so as reporters we see a lot of violence, either by the government or insurgent groups.

Q: Has new technology enhanced the media sector?

A: In the last ten years major efforts have been made to establish and expand new media initiatives. For instance, some TV channels are trying to attract the attention of their viewers through text messaging services and encourage their audience to participate in programmes using SMS. Merging television and communication technology has had a positive effect on the community.

Q: Do media outlets effectively reach people of different linguistic backgrounds?

A: Yes. The media is fully aware of the need to diversify its programming in order to attract a diverse audience. Some TV channels broadcast their programmes in the Pashto language, some stations reach a Persian-speaking audience, and we have radios and newspapers that cater to linguistic minorities in Afghanistan. The market is growing, so attracting a large audience is one of the most important elements for the success of the media sector.

AIDS has been a global issue for the longest time because of its pervasive effect towards all demographics throughout the world. The central questions of handling the AIDS epidemic would be:  how the international community can create an AIDS-free generation and its current problems preventing such generation from existing in the future.

At the United Nations headquarters in New York, NY, there was an important discussion hosted Tuesday  by a panel. The title: “AIDS and Development: Accountability and Results for 2015 and Beyond”. The panel consisted of the Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS, the Permanent Missions of Norway and Botswana, and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS.

The discussion on HIV/AIDS included the progress made towards the elimination of HIV and the current problems confronting the global community achieving the goal of an AIDS free generation in the future. Norway insisted that public health is the key to sustainable development in all societies throughout the globe.

The consensus of the panellists is that aid towards impoverished peoples with HIV/AIDS is imperative, solely science is not sufficient to the abolishment of HIV/AIDS and human rights must be protected in order to eliminate the virus.

One of the key methods, as discussed by the panel, to eliminate HIV/AIDS in the future is to educate the youth about healthy lifestyles and ensuring that all demographics receive information and aid. “The main issue is that people need to get information, people need to make an informed decision when and if they are getting into treatment, and that’s an individual decision…” Mary Anne Torres, a representative of the Civil Society Working Group, told IPS she was responding to the dangers facing modern youth when using contraception.

“A lot of young people either are too shy about sex, too inexperienced or they’re too anxious to have sex, and they’re too vulnerable. This is boys and girls… I want them to know the consequences of getting AIDS and STD’s” Jacqueline Spann, President and Founder of Education and Literacy Fund for Africa, told IPS.  The panel agreed that AIDS is still a prominent issue; however the elimination of the disease is not impossible.

The increasing importance for women to have a voice in times of conflict has been the focus in the latest discourse of peace building throughout the globe.

The participants in a panel discussion Tuesday on “Women and Peacebuilding in the Great Lakes Region of Africa” included the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Mary Robinson, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Hawa Bangura, Ireland’s Minister of State for Trade and Development, Joe Costello, T.D., Ugandan Women’s Civil Society Leader, Lina Zedriga Waru Abuku and Ireland’s Permanent Representative  to the UN  Anne Anderson.

The key purpose of the discussion was to include women’s rights in the peace-building process for the Great Lakes region of Africa, as they are viewed as objects in times of war. Zainab Hawa Bangura insists that rape is just as much a weapon of war as any bullet or bomb.

Bangura described how rape, as an instrument of war, leaves a devastating effect on its victims. She visited a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where infants as young as six months old had been raped.

The central points of the panel discussion were that women shall not be marginalized by governmental institutions; financial resources are needed to help provide aid to victims of rape in war; and that women deserve a place at the table in regards to peace building.

Asked about psychological aid for rape victims, Robinson told IPS: I know quite a few of them who are working with women who have been appallingly raped and re-raped very often and to become survivors in a real sense to learn to have a voice and to learn that they have nothing to be ashamed of. It’s the perpetrators who should be ashamed, but I hope that through this women’s platform we could get support…”.

“…In terms of rape being used as a weapon of choice, especially in the DRC, the aim is to stop this impunity. The first step is to empower these victims to speak out against it, and, secondly, to enable survivors to have space where they can be heard and can document their experiences…” Lina Zedriga told IPS.

The moral issue of violent conflicts is the neglect of women as victims of rape. The Great Lakes region of Africa is one of the most dangerous regions in the world for women. The objective of this meeting was to promote a platform of organizations to help ensure that these governments hold militia men and law enforcement accountable for their crimes in times of war.