Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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4. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he raised the continued attacks and assassinations of civil society and community activists in Colombia during the discussion on Colombia at the meeting of the European Union Foreign Ministers on 18 and 19 April 2016; and if he will directly raise this issue with his Colombian counterpart. [12273/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Ireland strongly supports the peace negotiations in Colombia. The advances made in the talks over the past year are highly encouraging and there is now a historic opportunity to bring a definitive end to more than 50 years of violence and internal displacement of people. Ireland, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our embassy in Mexico, is actively engaged in assessing how we can best contribute to the successful implementation of a peace accord. I have discussed developments in Colombia with the EU Special Envoy, Eamon Gilmore, on a number of occasions and I have also had the opportunity to discuss the peace process with the UN special rapporteur, Pablo de Grieff. In addition, I met the Colombian Vice Minister, Patti Jaramillo, when she visited Dublin last year to discuss the peace processes in Colombia with specific reference to Northern Ireland.

At the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg in April, my fellow EU Foreign Ministers and I were briefed on recent developments in the peace process by the Colombian Government’s High Representative for Peace, Dr. Sergio Jaramillo. Dr. Jaramillo spoke of the challenges of the implementation of a peace agreement between the Colombian Government and the FARC and ELN guerrilla groups and stressed the need for continued support from the EU and its member states.

Further to those meetings I dispatched a group of officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and our embassy in Mexico to Colombia in January of this year for discussions with the Government of Colombia, the United Nations and representatives of civil society, including groups involved in the promotion and defence of human rights. The reports to which the Deputy refers are stark reminders that Colombia still faces significant challenges in overcoming decades of violence in order to secure a lasting peace.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Prior to Question Time today I wrote to the Minister and asked him to raise urgently and directly the cases of 30 political and community activists who have been assassinated in Colombia with the Colombian Government. The dead include 16 political activists, including trade unionists and 14 others who were active in the community. They were assassinated over the course of 30 days, which is one person per day, from 21 February to 18 March. The list was compiled by Justice for Colombia, an NGO group. Did the Minister raise the issue specifically with his European counterparts? The Minister referred to the historic opportunity that exists but if the events I outlined are the backdrop to what is happening, we must examine the issue again.

When we debated the Colombia-EU free trade agreement in this Chamber, I argued strongly that horrendous human rights abuses were being perpetrated. A total of 534 political activists were murdered in Colombia between 2011 and 2015. Speakers from the Government side repeatedly suggested that we were wrong and that free trade would somehow improve human rights in Colombia but the 30 assassinations of political activists and trade unionists flies in the face of that. Were any of those issues discussed with European Ministers and will there be any action from the EU on what is happening in Colombia on the ground?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Deputy that we continue to raise human rights issues in relation to matters in Colombia in keeping with our commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and human rights defenders. It is one of our core foreign policy objectives. We condemn unreservedly all attacks and threats against human rights defenders, wherever they take place.

Human rights are also a priority for the European Union and all its member states. The issues were addressed in detail in the context of EU-Colombia human rights dialogue. Through that mechanism, the Union engages with the relevant and appropriate Colombian authorities in a structured manner across a full range of human rights issues, including human rights defenders, trade unionists, land restitution and economic and environmental issues. It is our firm belief that this ongoing, regular, structured policy of engagement, dialogue and scrutiny is the best way to promote an atmosphere of human rights in Colombia.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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There is no doubt there have been considerable positive change in regard to Colombia, including the historic talks in Havana. There are positive elements but at the same time people are being executed. An attempt was made on the life of Imelda Daza, one of the leaders of the left wing Patriotic Union on Friday, 6 May. Such things are happening. We ask people to stand up for peace, politics, justice, equality and the use of democratic means but at the same time, people are being executed by death squads who are linked to groups and individuals in Colombia. We must ensure there is a positive input to bring about peace and to improve conditions. What can the Government and the EU do in relation to the decades of conflict that have been ongoing? The talks are going at a positive rate but what can we do as Europeans who are concerned about peace and stability in the region?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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There are a number of issues in which we can become involved. Deputy Crowe is correct to talk about the importance of ensuring that Ireland plays its part. I am very pleased to record the work of the former Tánaiste and my ministerial predecessor, Eamon Gilmore, in his capacity as envoy with special responsibility. He was appointed by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs. His role is to provide political support to the ongoing peace negotiations. Part of the mandate of the team of officials I dispatched to Colombia in January of this year was to assess the extent to which there was an interest in learning more about the Irish experience. We continue to raise issues of human rights, including those referred to by the Deputy, and we also provide funding by way of financial aid towards peacekeeping projects in Colombia. Our officials met teams from the Government of Colombia and there was also involvement from the United Nations and other stakeholders across civil society. We will continue to prioritise this matter in the context of our broader support for the Colombian peace process.