On 2 July 2014, in Bogotá, Colombia, in the presence of senior Colombian governmental officials and members of the diplomatic corps and under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice and Law of Colombia, the International Cooperation Agency for Development of Extremadura (AEXCID), the Governments of Spain and the United Kingdom, UNODC/TPB launched three unique technical assistance tools, namely (i) the Guide for Colombia on the Legal Regime against Terrorism and Its Financing; (ii) the plan (case management tool) to conduct criminal investigations of the financing of terrorism offences in Colombia,and (iii) the Observatory of Jurisprudence for the Americas.
The Guide for Colombia on the Legal Regime against Terrorism and Its Financing provides criminal justice officials from Colombia with texts of the universal, regional and national legal instruments on countering terrorism and its financing, including an in-depth analysis of relevant jurisprudence. Furthermore, it offers a specialized and thorough analysis of the criminal terrorism-related offences established under the national legislation and a diagnosis on the management of the terrorism-related investigations conducted by the Attorney General's Office and the Judicial Police Directorate of Colombia.
The plan (case management tool) to conduct investigations of the financing of terrorism offences in Colombia,which complements the above mentioned guide, provides officials with relevant inputs to better understand, analyze and address the criminal investigation procedure related to terrorism financing cases. It analyzes each of the elements of the offence, the current legal interpretation of concepts, including by High Courts, together with a recompilation of several judgments pronounced in Colombia and the comparative experiences related to their prosecution. Furthermore, it provides criminal investigators with enhanced prioritization criteria, best practices on the use of special investigative techniques, and a strengthened teamwork procedure towards a criminal investigation conducted through a methodological programme.
Beyond acknowledging the dedication, commitment and diligent work advanced by judges and magistrates of Colombia in an effort to contribute to a territory free of safe haven for terrorists, the Observatory of Jurisprudence for the Americas ( http://observatoriojurisprudencia.unodc.org.co ) represents an unprecedented opportunity for justice operators to easily consult judicial decisions adjudicated at different instances (from the first to second instance, as well as High Courts), and brings a guiding criteria for those who, based on their functions, need to analyze case law of terrorism-related files. The Observatory of Jurisprudence, the first of its kind in Colombia and the Americas, represents an invaluable thesaurus for the judiciary and the criminal justice, law enforcement and academic community.
The above mentioned innovative tools developed by UNODC/TPB will serve criminal justice officials in their daily work on complex investigations, prosecutions and adjudication of terrorism-related offences. The strengthening of technical, legal and procedural concepts and abilities will ultimately contribute to the prevention of terrorism.