RIGHTS-COLOMBIA: Don’t Cross that Invisible Line

"We can't go from one barrio to another. Whoever does that is at risk of losing their life," a community organiser in this Pacific port city in Colombia told IPS.

RIGHTS-COLOMBIA: ‘Battalions of Lawyers, Not Soldiers’

In San Onofre, a municipality in the northwestern Colombian province of Sucre, where according to the Movement of Victims of Crimes of the State the far-right paramilitaries have killed 3,000 people, locals say in a low voice that "He will get us out of this."

COLOMBIA: Exhuming Nameless Victims

Colombian Inspector-General Edgardo Maya asked the United Nations for help unearthing and identifying the hundreds of bodies removed from secret graves throughout the country.

PRESS FREEDOM: Journalists in Colombia Create New National Federation

Journalists in Colombia, one of the most dangerous countries in the world for reporters, finally have their own national association.

HUMAN RIGHTS-COLOMBIA: Uribe on the Defensive

The Colombian government has assigned military intelligence agents to monitor opposition legislators who are travelling to the United States to express their views on different aspects of relations between the two countries, rightwing President Álvaro Uribe himself revealed.

COLOMBIA: US Freezes Aid as ‘Parapolitics’ Scandal Burns On

A package of U.S. military aid for Colombia that received the green light this month was blocked again in the U.S. Senate, while Colombian President Álvaro Uribe finds himself in increasingly deep water as a result of the scandal over ties between pro-Uribe politicians and the paramilitaries.

COLOMBIA: Half of EU Aid to Go Directly to Victims

Half of Europe's aid for Colombia over the next seven years will go directly to victims of the civil war and civil society organisations that provide them with assistance.

COLOMBIA: Half of EU Aid to Go Directly to Victims

Half of Europe's aid for Colombia over the next seven years will go directly to victims of the civil war and civil society organisations that provide them with assistance.

COLOMBIA: Low Expectations for New Round of Talks with ELN

Contradictory declarations and low expectations surround the sixth round of exploratory talks that begins Thursday in Cuba between the Colombian government and the insurgent National Liberation Army (ELN), which have been engaged in dialogue with a view to formal peace talks since December 2005.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Understanding Weather to Protect the Poor

Climate phenomena like El Niño and global warming have a disproportionate effect on the poor. That is why meteorology has a crucial contribution to make in the fight against poverty, scientists say.

COLOMBIA: UN Says Human Rights Situation Still Critical

The "democratic security" policy of the government of Álvaro Uribe could have negative effects on the conduct of members of the security forces, the United Nations warns in a human rights report on Colombia.

COLOMBIA-US: Military Rescue of Hostages on Bush’s Agenda?

U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to Colombia was accompanied by signals that Washington may step up its efforts to secure the release of three U.S. intelligence operatives who have been held hostage by the main guerrilla group, the FARC, since early 2003.

COLOMBIA: Government, ELN Continue Talks Under Wraps

Delegates of the Colombian government and the insurgent National Liberation Army (ELN) are continuing their talks in Havana, but this time without any speeches or statements to the press, in contrast to previous meetings.

RIGHTS-COLOMBIA: Disinterring the ‘Disappeared’

It took Colombia 12 years to pass a law that made forced disappearance a crime and nearly seven more to launch a concrete plan to search for the victims. "This is a big stride," Gustavo Gallón, head of the Colombian Commission of Jurists (CCJ), told IPS.

COLOMBIA: ‘Parapolitics’ Scandal Brings Down Foreign Minister

In a brief statement Monday, Colombian Foreign Minister María Consuelo Araújo said she was stepping down to avoid interfering in the legal proceedings taken against her father, brother and cousin for their alleged links to the far-right paramilitaries.

COLOMBIA: The Limits of Paramilitary Repentance

Former paramilitary fighter Wilson Salazar, alias "El Loro", was impatient over and annoyed by the prosecutor's questions and the charges put forth by the victims' defence attorneys. He claimed he was being blamed for more crimes than he had committed.

COLOMBIA: The Limits of Paramilitary Repentance

Former paramilitary fighter Wilson Salazar, alias "El Loro", was impatient over and annoyed by the prosecutor's questions and the charges put forth by the victims' defence attorneys. He claimed he was being blamed for more crimes than he had committed.

COLOMBIA: Released Telesur Reporter Fears for His Life

Telesur correspondent Fredy Muñoz was released from prison Tuesday, 52 days after his arrest. But the 36-year-old journalist faces the risk of new legal maneuvers, or an attempt on his life, to judge by similar cases in the past, said his lawyer.

COLOMBIA: Released Telesur Reporter Fears for His Life

Telesur correspondent Fredy Muñoz was released from prison Tuesday, 52 days after his arrest. But the 36-year-old journalist faces the risk of new legal maneuvers, or an attempt on his life, to judge by similar cases in the past, said his lawyer.

/CORRECTION*/MEDIA-COLOMBIA: Journalist in Jail for New Year

"Jorge Eliécer" is the alias attributed by Colombian authorities to Fredy Muñoz, correspondent in Colombia for the Caracas-based Telesur Latin America TV news network, who was arrested on Nov. 19.

COLOMBIA: Speaking Out Against Paramilitaries – Before Fleeing Again

Even his elderly aunt Jacinta, who raised him, is urging him to leave town. This will be the second time Santander Blanco has had to flee for his life. The first time he was forced to leave after refusing to vote for the candidates to the Colombian legislature imposed by the ultra-rightwing paramilitary militias.