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Making the rule of law a reality and attaining peace in Colombia demands a judicial system that effectively punishes serious violations of human rights committed by all actors in society, including state officials. Therefore, the independence and efficiency of the Attorney General’s investigations of human rights violations must be subjected to rigorous empirical analysis and constant public debates. In this document, DJS contributes to that effort through a critical study of how the Attorney General’s Human Rights Unit (UDH) has operated over the last few years. In order to do that, the text combines tools of empirical qualitative analysis (case studies) with a follow-up and measurement of the UDH’s performance, which contributes to reducing the impunity of human rights violations in Colombia. (Note: This document is written in Spanish.)

The State of Colombia loses valuable resources because of damages awarded by courts in contract and tort cases. Many times, damage judgments result from citizens and companies hurt by the state’s actions or omissions. Often, however, these judicial decisions are the result of the state’s poor performance in court. Because of this, the central state and some cities, like Bogotá, have started programs in recent years to strengthen systems that monitor public information and trials involving the state, in order to develop more effective defense strategies in court. This document gathers the results of a thorough investigation by DJS that contributes to this effort by analyzing new state programs and by empirically studying tort and labor cases that most often result in damage judgments against the state. The text ends with specific recommendations on how to consolidate a new strategy for the judicial defense of the state. (Note: This document is written in Spanish.)