Statement by Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) on impunity for U.S. troops in Colombia, including for instances of rape and other forms of sexual violence

This statement was published by Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) on November 28, 2022. The statement highlights that, in 2003, the Colombian government signed an Agreement of Diplomatic Immunity with the United States. The statement asserts that this agreement violated Law 742 of 2002, which ratified the Rome Statute and requires investigation of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. The statement also references a report that documented instances of rape and other forms of sexual violence by U.S. soldiers in Colombia, including the rape of at least 53 girls by U.S. soldiers in Melgar and Giradot, near the Tolemaida Military Base. The statement concludes by asserting that victims who report such crimes face persecution.