Colombia: Activists to protest at the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) offices in Bogota December 2

Event

Families and activists in support of victims of extrajudicial executions in Colombia plan to hold a sit-in protest outside the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (Jurisdiccion Especial para la Paz, JEP) premises at the intersection of Carretera 7 and Calle 64 in Bogota from 1000 Dec. 2. The protest is to demand the exclusion of former army general Mario Montoya Uribe from the peace court's proceedings. The demonstration is likely to draw large crowds.

Police will almost certainly deploy to monitor the protest and secure the JEP building. Low-level confrontations between police and demonstrators are possible if the latter breach security cordons or disobey orders to disperse. Localized traffic disruptions are likely in the area.

Context

Montoya Uribe served as a general in the Colombian National Army until his resignation in 2008 amid the so-called "false positives" scandal. The scandal and associated trials involve the killing of civilians by military personnel to inflate body counts of combatants during the conflict between the government and guerilla groups. Victim advocates opposed to Montoya Uribe have accused the former general of withholding information from the courts during a previous appearance in February.

Advice

Avoid all protests. If violence breaks out, leave the area immediately. Allow additional travel time to reach destinations near the JEP in Bogota, Dec. 2