Colombia at the Crossroads: The Struggle for Peace and Justice in Colombia
with Justice Brent Knazan and Heather Neun.
Friday 30 October 2015, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Room 1700 Simon Fraser Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St. Vancouver
Admission is free. Seating is limited. Approved for CPD credits by the Law Society of BC
Ontario Court of Justice Brent Knazan and Vancouver-based labour lawyer Heather Neun will introduce the report, Colombia at the Crossroads: The vital role of lawyers and human rights defenders for real justice and peace. The report chronicles the dangers faced by human rights defenders in Colombia—murder, arbitrary detention, unlawful surveillance and politically motivated prosecutions—and explores how the peace process presents an opportunity for change if it includes enforceable measures to ensure victim compensation, land restitution and the ability of the justice system to uphold basic rights. As delegates to the Colombia Caravana Justice Knazan and Ms Neun travelled to Colombia and met with victims, lawyers, human rights defenders and justice system operators, as well as state officials. Neun and Knazan will speak about their regional trips to Cali and Bucaramanga as well as meetings with government authorities and civil society groups. People attending the event will also be introduced to the seven separate reports on human rights crises in the seven departments visited by Caravana delegates.
