memorandum of justification concerning human ... - Just the Facts

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complaint system with three methods for receiving complaints: human rights offices
within military and police units (must be easily accessible by the public); free phone lines
for reporting complaints; and special links on the web pages of the Armed Forces and
National Police. The Directive also established a system for directing complaints so that
they are brought to the attention of the proper judicial authorities, and are referred to the
Inspectorate General of the Armed Forces Command so that administrative and
disciplinary measures are taken. As of May 2009, six televised accountability hearings
on human rights had been held. By presidential order, the hearings will continue into the
second half of 2009. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and pertinent
Colombian government agencies participate in this process.
During the second half of 2008, the Inspector General of the Armed Forces carried
out special inspection visits to each of the Army‘s seven divisions to verify that the
complaint reception system was in place and functioning properly. The Inspector
General also reviewed the allegations received in order to confirm or refute complaints
received, as well as the adoption of measures to establish the responsibility of military
personnel in the alleged events. As of May 2009, plans were underway to improve the
effectiveness of the complaint reception system in evaluating the validity of reports of
human rights violations.
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