Press Release from the Vice President of the Republic

April 3, 2010

The decision by the European Court of Human Rights to suspend the extradition of war criminal Yair Klein to Colombia is a black mark on human rights in the world. It permits impunity for the crimes committed by Mr. Klein and his paramilitary students in Colombia, denying truth and justice to his victims. This ruling is humiliating for humanity, for the victims, and for the cause of human rights.

The crimes committed by Mr. Klein's students have been proven in Colombia. His role as an instructor is fully documented and his trial was conducted with procedural guarantees. If he wishes to appeal this ruling, Colombian legislation will provide him with the resources to do so.

The argument made by Mr. Klein is false when he states that he could be tortured in Colombia or his human rights could be violated. Klein and the European Court have ignored the fact that a human rights committee is in place in every Colombian prison with inmate representatives, and that, in addition, we have an Office of the Public Defender to watch over the rights of prisoners.

It is a shameful thing that the instructor of the assassins of La Rochela, of Luis Carlos Galán, of Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa, of Héctor Abad Gómez, of hundreds of peasants, of dozens of officials from the justice system, human rights defenders, and journalists, among others, now claims his human rights will be violated when he never respected the rights of his victims.

The Colombian state gives recognition to the dissident voices of the two judges who opposed this ruling. It also expresses its concern for this type of decision that manifests the double standard used for human rights violators: while it is demanded that there be no impunity in Colombia, impunity is facilitated for a confessed war criminal.

The Colombian state and Colombian society call on human rights organizations and multilateral bodies to express their rejection of this mockery of the victims of crimes committed by paramilitary groups in Colombia.