LatinWeek

Colombia: On 23 June, the Inter-American Human Rights Court (IAHRC) issued a landmark judgement holding the Colombian government responsible for the 1994 assassination of a prominent senator, Manuel Cepeda, who was shot dead in an operation organized by Colombia's army. The Colombian state's perceived weak human rights record is a challenge for the US Barack Obama administration as it tries to convince congress to approve a pending Free Trade Agreement with Colombia. Myles Frechette, a former US ambassador to Colombia, acknowledged that "this is a problem for the United States," adding that the incoming administration, to be led by the former defence minister Juan Manuel Santos, must be committed to preventing abuses and ending impunity; "He has to say, 'Colombia is a modern country, and we understand all these things about human rights violations, and we're going to stand up and fly right'", Frechette stated. Luis Alfonso Hoyos, Colombia's ambassador to the Organisation of American States, said that Colombia readily cooperates with the IAHRC's investigations.