Lopez v. Colombia (Admissibility Decision) IACHR (21 October 2006) Report No. 86/06

During a Colombian military operation to weaken the drug and other criminal enterprises of the FARC in the region, armed paramilitary groups forcibly displaced a group of Afro-descendants in the region from their homes.  Additionally, a member of the community, Manuel Lopez, was murdered by the paramilitary and his decapitated head was used as a football by the group in front of the community.  Those forced to leave their homes were separated during flight and some young children were lost in the undergrowth of the jungle.  The Commission held that in light of the facts, the case was admissible for consideration.