The United Nations sent its Special Rapporteur on the Independence of the Judges and Lawyers to Colombia as the country finds itself in the middle of ongoing clashes between the Presidency and the high courts.
Rapporteur Carina Knaul de Albuquerque e Silva on Monday will begin a ten-day visit to the Andean nation to investigate the current state of independence of the judiciary.
During her trip, the rapporteur is expected to meet with government officials, magistrates of the country’s highest courts and representatives of civil organizations.
The Brazilian Knaul de Albuquerque e Silva will focus on the current crisis between Supreme Court and President Alvaro Uribe, who have been unable to reach agreement on the country’s new Prosecutor General.
The Rapporteur will also investigate the alleged wiretapping of Supreme Court magistrates by government intelligence agency DAS and will be informed on the judicial progress made in the prosecution of demobilized paramilitaries.
According to Spanish press agency EFE, some media have reported the Rapporteur will also meet three magistrates who are receiving special protection on request of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
