German Romero Sánchez
German Romero Sánchez is a lawyer with an important career in the defense of human rights in Colombia. As part of his work with the organisation dhColombia, he represents victims of serious human rights violations and emblematic crimes against humanity in the country, perpetrated mainly by state security forces. The human rights defender has already faced numerous situations of risk due to his work. National and international organisations such as the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) have denounced on different occasions the attacks suffered by German Romero Sánchez, including threats, theft of sensitive information, attacks, surveillance against him and his family, defamation and stigmatisation statements pronounced by the highest representatives of previous governments, among others. German Romero and the organisation dhColombia are accompanied by Peace Brigades International as one of their protection strategies.
HRDs in Colombia work in a violent and unsafe environment. They are subjected to threats, intimidation, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, physical assaults, torture, killings, illegal searches of their homes and offices and stigmatisation as a result of their activities in defence of human rights. The perpetrators of these abuses are frequently paramilitary groups, many of whom have links to the government or security services, or armed opposition groups. The continued frequent and severe threats and attacks against HRDs around the country contradict government claims of paramilitary demobilisation.
