José Ismael Rodríguez Rodríguez
José Ismael Rodríguez Rodríguez is currently the Director of REDEPAZ and has more than ten years of experience in the defence of rights and has focused his work on community programmes for the reintegration of young people who have been involved in gang activities. Since 2000, he has been a member of the organising committee of the Week for Peace.
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.
