Valle Jaramillo et al. v. Colombia

On February 27, 1998, two armed men entered Jesús María Valle Jaramillo’s, a human rights defender, office in Medellín and took him hostage and killed him. It was speculated that the crimes were perpetrated by members of paramilitary forces with members of the Army in order to silence Mr. María Valle Jaramillo from speaking out about the human rights abuses that took place in Ituango. After nine years, three civilians had been convicted in absentia, and there are no judicial investigations underway to determine whether State agents bore any responsibility. The Court found that the State violated the American Convention on Human Rights.

Case Summary: Valle Jaramillo et al. v. Colombia, Case Summary