In light of the changes in the Colombian political panorama, representatives from the legal and human rights spheres are meeting in London on 14th October to discuss peace building, transitional justice with a gender perspective, indigenous rights and the impact of judicial decisions.
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Pablo Muñoz
The recent change of government in Colombia has transformed former president Gustavo Petro’s policy of “Total Peace”. On 7th September, Abelardo de la Espirella’s government confirmed the ceasing of negotiations with Comuneros del Sur, a faction of the National Liberation Army (ELN), separated from this group since 2024. This reactivated the arrest warrants for several of its members. Against this backdrop, legal and human rights organisations championing justice in the country are organizing the forum “Columbia: Justice in a new political context”.
The in-person event will take place on Wednesday 14th October. It will be organised jointly by high profile organisations in the fields of law and human rights: ABColombia, 39 Essex Chambers, Colombia Caravana and LIMPAL Colombia.
The forum will be opened by Kirsty Brimelow KC, Chair of the Bar Council and former chair of its Human Rights Committee. It will be moderated by Sue Willman KC (hon), Assistant Director of King’s College London’s Legal Clinic and a consultant at the firm Deighton Pierce Glynn.
The agenda will have three main pillars: the transformations in the political panorama and peace building in Colombia, advances and challenges for women and the gender perspective in transitional justice, and the protection of indigenous rights against the impact of multinational businesses and judicial decisions.
To develop these themes, participants on the panel will be Louise Winstanley, Programme and Advocacy Manager at ABColombia, who will analyse the changing political context; Diana María Salcedo López, Director of LIMPAL Colombia and Vice-President of WILPF, who will go into depth on topics affecting women and on peace and security in Colombia; Katherine Barnes, a lawyer at 39 Essex Chambers, who will present the main conclusions reached by the delegation from the Colombia Caravana UK Lawyers’ Group that visited Colombia in August 2026.
Date and time: 14th October, 6pm – 7.30pm (registration from 5.30pm). Place: 39 Essex Chambers, 81 Chancery Lane, Londres WC2A 1DD. Places are limited and prior registration is required by contacting Ana Reyes-Hurt (events@abcolombia.org.uk). For more information, click here.
(Translated by Philip Walker – Email: philipwalkertranslation@gmail.com) – Photos:
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