Despite the fact that the civilian population has been increasingly involved in the Colombian armed conflict by the illegal parties, who contribute more and more to the deterioration of the situation in the country, the results of the government's efforts to carry out its Policy on the Promotion, Respect and Guarantee of Human Rights and the Application of International Humanitarian Law, are visible.

Significant progress has been made in the fight against the illegal armed groups, as a result of the operations conducted by the armed forces and the police against subversive and self-defense groups, the judicial proceedings conducted by the Human Rights Unit of the Prosecutor General's Office against those responsible for human rights violations and infringements of international humanitarian law, and the work of the Attorney General's Office in connection with the alleged involvement of agents of the State in these crimes.

Source: Human Rights Unit of the Prosecutor General's Office. Processed by: The Observatory of the Presidential Program for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law - Office of the Vice President of Colombia.

The figures for criminal proceedings for human rights violations and infringements of international humanitarian law conducted by the Human Rights Unit of the Prosecutor General's Office show positive results. The number of persons ordered to appear before the judicial authorities has increased, as has the number of legal actions in progress (restraining measures, arrest warrants and indictments). Efficiency, revealed in a higher number of proceedings conducted by the Unit, is confirmed by the rise in the number of criminal actions against members of self-defense groups. The lower number of members of subversive groups summoned to appear before the magistrates is due to the fact that the Unit only deals with specific crimes. It can also be observed that the proportion of agents of the state involved in criminal investigations is smaller. On the other hand, the figures reflect the efforts made by the Human Rights Unit to ensure that infringements of international humanitarian law committed in the context of the armed conflict are investigated and prosecuted. The highest rate of increase in the number of arrest warrants between 1999 and 2000 was in those issued against members of subversive groups (159 per cent).

Source: Attorney General's Office - Human Rights Section. Processed by: The Observatory of the Presidential Program for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law - Office of the Vice President of Colombia.

In those cases in which agents of the state are found to have been involved, through action or omission, in deeds regarded as human rights violations or infringements of international humanitarian law, the Colombian justice system has had no hesitation in investigating and punishing them. Examples of this include the Mapiripán massacre case and the Benjamin Koudari murder case. There has been a noticeable improvement with regard to the involvement of members of the armed forces and the police in legal proceedings for human rights violations. Traditionally, this has been an indicator of the state of affairs in this area. The number of complaints filed with the Attorney General's Office and proceedings initiated against members of the armed forces and the police is indeed falling. Between January and December 2000, 430 complaints were filed with the Human Rights Section of the Attorney General's Office against members of the army and the police, compared with 3,000 in 1995. In other words, the figure fell by 86.6 per cent, which is remarkable from every point of view. Educational campaigns and measures, including the filing of reports, have played a part in these results. Likewise, the number of proceedings initiated by the Attorney General's Office decreased significantly in 2000 compared with the previous year -61 per cent. Furthermore, compared with the number of cases in progress in 1995, there was an 84 per cent drop.