Judicial Resilience in the Case of Jineth Bedoya
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights Responds to the Revictimizing Challenge of Colombia
On March 15, in an extraordinary act of resistance to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), Colombian representatives withdrew from the proceedings on the first day of the public hearings in the case of
Jineth Bedoya Lima and Other v. Colombia. The case concerns the abduction, rape, and torture of journalist and human rights defender Jineth Bedoya Lima committed in 2000 during a work visit to the prison “La Modelo” in Bogotá. Colombia abandoned the hearing after the statement of the alleged victim Jineth Bedoya Lima and denounced the lack of objectivity of five judges in the proceeding. This unprecedented situation thus links to ongoing debates on gender, withdrawal, and backlash against human rights courts.