Death threats made against Colombian lawyer

Who we wrote to

The president of the Republic of Colombia.

What’s the issue

We’re deeply concerned about death threats and other security incidents made against lawyer Germán Romero Sánchez of DH Colombia.

On 3 October 2019, unknown persons called Mr Romero Sánchez’s home, threatening that he would not be allowed “to live [his] whole life”.

This was part of an escalation of intimidating acts carried out against Mr Romero Sánchez, including the theft of a laptop containing sensitive information on legal cases and surveillance by unidentified men close to his home.

We believe that these incidents are related to Mr Romero Sánchez’s work as a legal representative of victims in cases of extrajudicial execution and massacre against high-ranking military officials.

What we asked for

We respectfully urge the relevant Colombian authorities to:

• guarantee the right to life and physical integrity of Mr Romero Sánchez, including through maintaining the NPU’s individual protection measures
• grant NPU collective protection measures to DH Colombia with immediate and sufficient resources to strengthen the security conditions of its office
• diligently investigate all the security incidents committed against Mr Romero Sánchez and bring the perpetrators to justice in proceedings that respect international fair trial standards
• comply with Colombia’s international legal obligations and guarantee that Mr Romero Sánchez and colleagues can carry out their legitimate professional activities without harassment and improper interference