Lawyers’ event a success despite visa disappointment

Judith Maldonado speaks about defending human rights in Colombia

QCs, judges and members of both Houses of Parliament were among the capacity audience at the Law Society Council chamber last week, for Peace Brigades International’s invitation-only event Persecution of Human Rights Defenders.

Chaired by PBI patron Sir Henry Brooke, the event was also addressed by Lord Justice Hooper (Sir Anthony Hooper), and Colombian human rights lawyer Judith Maldonado, who illustrated the importance of the work of human rights defenders in conflict zones, and the obstacles they face.

With the Luis Carlos Perez Lawyer’s Collective (CALCP), Judith Maldonado provides legal and educational support for grassroots activists, displaced communities and victims of paramilitary violence in Catatumbo and other regions in Northeast Colombia. As human rights defenders, she and her colleagues are at constant risk of violent threats and attacks, as well as the insidious threat of criminalisation, where trumped up legal charges seek to undermine their work by questioning its legitimacy.

“This strategy generates the least political cost for the government, because no human rights defender has been assassinated, but their work has been questioned and delegitimised by associating it with a criminal activity,” said Judith. “In recent years this form of persecution has unfortunately led many very respectable and prestigious Colombian social organisations to find themselves in trouble with the legal system.”

Also expected to speak was Nepalese journalist/lawyer Jitman Basnet, but he was refused a UK visa despite receiving one from several other countries for his European tour.

“This country is under international obligation to fight the criminalisation of human rights defenders, and who better to tell people in this country about what is going on in countries like Nepal than somebody who has experienced it?” said Sir Henry Brooke.

Similar sentiments were expressed in a letter written to the The Times newspaper on behalf of all those present, including Michael Mansfield QC, the Holborn and Westminster Law Society, and PBI patrons Sir Henry Booke, Baroness D’Souza and Peter Roth QC:

“It was with great dismay that we learned of the rejection of Mr Basnet's UK visa application, a decision made and upheld despite EU guidelines for the protection of human rights defenders stating that EU Missions should provide ‘visible recognition to human rights defenders, through the use of appropriate publicity, visits or invitations’.”