May 27th 2021, 11:00AM - 1:00 PM (EST)

Mandatory registration

Reports of police violence, killings, disappearances, and sexual violence in Colombia have reached international attention in recent weeks. Civil liberties such as the freedom of press are under attack with practices of intimidation and direct violence against journalists. This webinar will focus on the unprecedented massive situation of State violence and repression against demonstrations and the Paro Nacional movement involving all the major cities and regions of Colombia and will analyze the reasons that may explain how a democratic country can claim to legitimately use lethal violence and terrorize its population, while the later is making use of its basic freedoms? The role of the international community and of Canada in particular will also be discussed, since Colombia is a major economic partner and political ally of Canada. On May 11, the Subcommittee of International Human Rights of the Canadian Parliament held a public session on the situation of Colombia and more public sessions will take place in the coming weeks.

The webinar is organized by the Observatory on Violence, Criminalization and Democracy-OVCD , funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and based at the University of Ottawa. The meeting will take via Zoom.

 

 

PROGRAM

 

11:00-11:05 (EST) Welcome remarks

- Prof. Marie-Christine Doran, Director of the OVCD

 

11:05-12:20 (EST) Presentations on the situation of Colombia and the role of Canada (15 minutes each)

- M. Jonathan Bock, Executive Director of the Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa

- M. Alejandro Lanz, Executive Director of the NGO Temblores

- M. Lizeth Montero, Human Rights Lawyer, specialized in cases of sexual violence

- Prof. Luis van Isschot, University of Toronto, OVCD researcher

- Prof. Leila Celis, Université du Québec à Montréal, OCVD researcher

 

Moderator: M. Salvador Herencia Carrasco, HRREC, University of Ottawa

 

12:20-12:50 (EST) Questions and Answers

 

12:50-13:00 (EST) Final remarks

- Prof. Marie-Christine Doran, Director of the OVCD