Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 213: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on death threats and violence in Colombia. [47238/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of and share the deep concern that has been expressed at the manner in which trade union activists and human rights defenders have been treated in Colombia. Ireland, along with its EU partners, monitors the human rights situation in Colombia and raises issues including such human rights abuses with the Colombian Government through the on-going EU-Colombia dialogue on human rights and in regular contacts at political level. At the Universal Periodic Review of Colombia's implementation of its human rights commitments, held at the Human Rights Council in Geneva in December 2008, Ireland raised a number of issues relating to human rights in Colombia. Specifically, we called on the Colombian Government to implement its existing legislation in full, sanction unsubstantiated allegations against individual activists, strengthen the protection provided to individuals and investigate and punish crimes against them.

Last month, on the occasion of a visit to Colombia to present credentials, Irelands' newly appointed non-resident Ambassador to Colombia raised these issues at meetings with the Colombian Minister for Foreign Affairs and with senior officials in the Foreign Ministry. The Ambassador emphasised the importance that Ireland attaches to the protection of human rights defenders and trade union leaders and explained the considerable attention that their plight has attracted in Ireland. In the course of his visit, the Ambassador also met with representatives of Irish NGOs to hear at first hand about their concerns regarding human rights.

The EU recognises that the Colombian Government is trying to restore the authority of the State in the context of significant ongoing terrorist activity in the country. The 2007-2013 EU country strategy paper for Colombia recognises that the "situation as regard human rights and democracy in Colombia is still critical" and that "the most vulnerable groups include indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombians, as well as, inter alia, social leaders, trade-union leaders, journalists and human rights defenders". We fully recognise that there is no one solution for promoting peace in Colombia and that the various social and economic elements underlying the conflict have to be tackled simultaneously. Our approach and that of the European Union is to support the Colombian Government as it emerges from decades of terrorism, and to influence that process in a manner that also results in greater respect for human rights.

Ireland has made a considerable financial contribution towards the Organization of American States' monitoring of the disarmament, demobilisation and rehabilitation process in Colombia as well as to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights' monitoring of the human rights aspects of this process. The Government will continue to monitor the situation in Colombia through our Embassy in Mexico City, which is accredited to Colombia, as well as in cooperation with our EU partners with resident diplomatic missions in that country.