Colombia’s land restitution law defrauding victims: Amnesty International

Colombia’s land restitution law defrauding victims: Amnesty International
Nov 27, 2014 posted by Victoria McKenzie

Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday accused the Colombian government of allowing powerful corporate giants to plunder the country while six million citizens remain displaced, and more continue to be forced from their land.
In a scathing report, Amnesty International pinned the failure of Colombia’s land restitution process on government apathy, misplaced priorities, and a failure to address the cause of violent displacement throughout the country.

FACT SHEET: Displacement in Colombia

While the international human rights body recognized Colombia’s 2012 Victims Law as a step in the right direction toward returning six million victims of forced displacement to their land, a recent investigation of the process led one senior researcher to say that “implementation of the law is so poor, they should be ashamed. They are putting the whole thing at risk.”

According to AI, less than 1% of displaced Colombians have been returned to their land since the Victims Law was enacted, and many are afraid to risk applying for titles in fear of reprisals.
Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday accused the Colombian government of allowing powerful corporate giants to plunder the country while six million citizens remain displaced, and more continue to be forced from their land.

“Since 2012, the Victims and Land Restitution Law (Law 1448) has sought to help return illegally acquired land to some of its rightful occupants. However, only a tiny percentage of the millions of hectares stolen has been returned. By 1 August 2014 fewer than 30,000 hectares of land have been returned to peasant farmers. Restitution judges and magistrates have ordered the return of only one 50,000 hectare Indigenous territory to its rightful occupants,” said AI.

The Prosecutor General’s office is investigating 35 murders in 2014 alone linked to land claims, said AI, adding that the NGO believes the number to be much higher.

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While violence remains an enormous obstacle, there has curiously been no effort to prosecute those responsible for the forced evictions, Beltran told Colombia Reports. Moreover, violence has not stopped powerful national and international companies from grabbing land, all under the cover of armed conflict.

More:
http://colombiareports.co/colombias-land-restitution-law-defrauding-victims-amnesty-international/