IACHR grants precautionary measures in favor of rights defender Juan Pablo Galvis Arango in Colombia

October 16, 2025

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 73/2025 on October 10, 2025, to grant precautionary measures in favor of Juan Pablo Galvis Arango in Colombia, in the belief that he faces a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to his rights to life and personal integrity.

According to the request for these precautionary measures, the beneficiary is at risk due to his work as a human rights defender, an activist for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community, and his complaints about his own father’s disappearance. On April 30, 2025, Galvis Arango requested protection because he had received threats and was being followed. Several State institutions knew the risks he was facing and called for protection, but he remained without adequate protection measures from the State.

The State said that the beneficiary had been included in the Single Record of Victims based on the threats he had been subjected to in the municipality of Barrancabermeja. The State further said that, on July 3, 2025, the Department of Access to Justice and Human Rights in the Barrancabermeja Mayor’s Office had asked various institutions to reactivate protection measures in favor of Galvis Arango. The State said it had launched a risk assessment about the beneficiary and that this assessment was in progress.

After assessing the legal and factual allegation made by both parties, the IACHR noted that the beneficiary had been subjected to threats, surveillance, harassment, forced displacement, and acts of armed violence and that these attacks persisted. The IACHR also noted that, although the beneficiary had requested protection in April 2025, he was yet to receive sufficient protection measures to effectively keep him safe while working as a human rights defender. The IACHR considers that Galvis Arango faces serious, urgent risks. Consequently, in keeping with Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR asked the State of Colombia to take the following action:

1. Adopt any measures necessary to protect Galvis Arango’s rights to life and personal integrity
2. Take any measures necessary to enable the beneficiary to do his work as a human rights defender without being subjected to threats, harassment, or any other acts of violence for doing such work
3. Come to an agreement with the beneficiary and his representatives concerning any measures that need to be taken
4. Report on any action taken to investigate the alleged events that gave rise to the adoption of these precautionary measures, in order to prevent such events from happening again in the future

The fact that these precautionary measures have been granted and their adoption by the State of Colombia do not entail a prejudgment on a potential petition that may be filed before the inter-American system to allege violations of rights protected by the applicable instruments.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 213/25

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