Columns & Blogs

Garcia Marquez once said that the secret of a happy marriage is not to discuss conflicts between the spouses; it is better to go to sleep without talking about it, he would say

The process of translating international conventions on consulta previa into laws has not been smooth.

While it is true that land restitution involves transformative reparations measures, there are reasons to believe that it is not an agrarian reform nor a development policy.

The cases of the Barcelona soccer player Danil Alves and of the owner of the Clippers, LA's basketball team, say a lot about the most effective ways of punishing racism. They are very different from the punishment of spending time in jail that has become so popular here.

Untangling the critiques helps provide a clearer framework for the debate and understand what the specific challenges are for the movement to avoid excluding.

Independence and imparciality are two terms that are commonly used but often confused.

The creation of this new Special Rapporteurship on ESCR represents progress in the region, and shows that Latin America continues to be a leader in the protections of ESCR internationally.

Mr. Jorge Fernández Diaz, Minister of Interior of Spain, awarded a police merit medal to the Virgen Mary, Our Lady of the Holy Love. The Minister, who is a fervent believer and a member of the Opus Dei, referred to her "dedication, watchfulness, solidarity and sacrafice," but did not clarify what exactly the Virgin did to earn her medal.

The State Council´s decision on March 26th overturning Medellin Mayor Alonso Salazar´s removal from office and 12 year ban on holding public office imposed by the Inspector General Office, not only corrects a great injustice. It is also a harsh rebuke of the Inspector General´s Office for being so arbitrary in its decisions.

If any country wants to lead on internet privacy rights, its surveillance standards must include effective privacy doors that are both necessary and proportionate.

"Nothing is going to happen, because in the Organization of American States (OAS) nothing ever happens." With great skepticism and irony, Colombia´s Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Angela Holguin gave this answer when asked how the process of strengthening the Inter-American Human Rights System was going.

The Constitutional Court´s decision seeks to protect the rights of the victims. However it forgot a few things that could make reparations unworkable.