Ejercito Nacional de Colombia

Highly qualified individuals made presentations on subjects such as General Human Rights, Recognition of Others, Comprehensive Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Policy, Directives from the Ministry of Defense, International Systems for Protecting Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. Also, International Criminal Court, Directive 048-2008 Protecting the Rights of Children and Adolescents and directives 10, 19 and 300 – 28 of 2007, in which the Ministry of Defense urges public servants to adhere to the principal guarantees of rights and liberties guaranteed to the country’s residents.

One hundred participants attended the seminar, including personnel from the National Army, the Colombian Naval Institute, Air Force and National Police. The event lasted 24 hours over three days. Organizers and participants took part in a varied series of exercises, the purpose of which was to combine experience with theory. This enabled participants to learn how to interpret cases which arise in their daily lives.

Presiding over the event was the Commander of the Twenty-seventh Jungle Brigade, Brigadier General Javier Fernández Leal, with the assistance of the Operating Commander of the Putumayo Departmental Police, Colonel Victor Alberto Abella, the Regional Prosecutor Nelson Armando Rodríguez, Departmental Comptroller Carlos Eduardo Idalgo Patiño, delegates from the National Defense Ministry; Fabio Núñez and Rafael González, of the Human Rights Division of the National Army. Also attending were media representatives Kelly Chaib De Mares and Ramiro Guevara Díaz.

“The National Army, as an institution of the Colombian State, clearly has the confidence of the Colombian people, and is actively encouraging proper behavior of its men and women in making all efforts to prevent and correct conduct that could undermine the people’s support. The army does this by maintaining constant respect for Human Rights as a tenet of discipline and the Military Honor Tradition.”