A/HRC/10/32 page 7 III. HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW A. Extrajudicial executions 9. In 2008 OHCHR Colombia continued to work directly with the Ministry of Defence to bring alleged cases of extrajudicial executions to the attention of senior military commanders for action. In January 2008 the Ministry of Defence published its Comprehensive Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Policy for the security forces, which included, among other initiatives, the establishment of operational legal advisers within the Ministry to ensure that military operations comply with international humanitarian law standards. In addition, senior civilian and military officials have repeatedly and publicly stated that they were willing to adopt measures to protect and respect human rights, including eradicating extrajudicial executions. 10. In October 2008, the President separated three Generals from service, as well as over 24 more officers including four Colonels, and took other disciplinary measures for an “inexcusable lack of diligence on the part of officers in the rigorous investigation of alleged irregularities in their jurisdiction”.6 This was an important signal to reinforce the stated policy of zero tolerance for human rights violations. In November 2008, the Commander-in-Chief of the army resigned, the Ministry of Defence announced further measures7 and the President initiated discussions with senior military commanders to address complaints of extrajudicial executions. 11. However, the number of complaints about extrajudicial executions and the number of victims reported8 showed that institutional policies adopted by the Ministry of Defence and the army High Command to combat this practice have not, as of October 2008, led to a significant decrease in such violations. Renewed efforts are needed to guarantee the effectiveness of and strict compliance with institutional policies to prevent and punish extrajudicial executions. 12. By late November 2008, the Attorney-General’s Office had initiated investigations into 112 cases of alleged extrajudicial executions which occurred in 2008.9 In addition, 473 additional cases, most of which occurred in 2006 and 2007, were referred to the 6 Additional measures seem to have been taken, including separation of other officers from service, but have not been made public. 7 These measures include a review of intelligence, operational and logistical doctrine and procedures; the creation of a commission to review cases from an operational standpoint; the reinforcement of command responsibility; improvements to evaluation systems; and the redefinition of rules of engagement. 8 Women are often targeted for extrajudicial execution for being partners of alleged members of illegal armed groups. 9 Complaints about extrajudicial executions are usually made several months after the fact. Thus, extrajudicial executions that took place in 2008 are likely to be reported in 2009. The National Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Unit of the Attorney-General’s Office has initiated investigations into 41 of these cases, while local prosecutors’ offices have initiated 71.