Colombia
Colombia
| Right | Section | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom of Association | History | Article 5(8) of the 1853 Constitution of New Grenada offered a broad discussion of the freedom of assembly, including the right to unarmed assembly for the purpose: "to discuss any matters of public or private interest, and to express freely and without responsibility opinions upon the same." Article 56(11) of the 1858 Constitution of the Grenadine Federation guaranteed: "Freedom of unarmed association with such restrictions as the law may establish".
According to Article 38 of the 1991 Colombia Constitution: The right of free association for the promotion of various activities that individuals pursue in society is guaranteed." References: 1853 Constitution of New Grenada: English translation of the Spanish original text of the Constitution of 1853 202 (2009) Title I: The Republic of New Granada; and Granadines https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzco0029&id=2&men_tab=srchresults 1858 Constitution of the Grenadine Federation: English translation of the Spanish original text of the Constitution of 1858 240 (2009) Title V: Rights of Individuals 1991 Colombia Constitution (rev. 2015): https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Colombia_2015 |
| Freedom of Expression | History | Article 156 of the 1821 Constitution of the Republic of Colombia protected freedom of written expression: "All Colombians have the right of freely recording, printing, and publishing their thoughts and opinions, without the necessity of any examination, revision, or censorship, previous to publication. Those, however, who commit any abuse of this inestimable privilege, shall incur the punishments which they have deserved, conformably to the Laws."
Article 5(7) of the 1853 Constitution of New Grenada went further to describe in more general terms the scope of freedom of expression, and guaranteed: "The free expression of thought, it being understood that when done by the press it is without any limitation, and when done by word of mouth or any other means it is limited only in those ways established by law." In Colombia freedom of expression is constitutionally protected by articles 46 and 47 of the constitution originally adopted in 1995. References: 1821 Constitution of the Republic of Colombia: English translation of the Spanish original text of the Constitution of 1821 718 (2009) Title VIII: General Regulations: https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.cow/zzco0007&id=21&collection=cow&index=# 1853 Constitution of New Grenada: English translation of the Spanish original text of the Constitution of 1853 202 (2009) Title I: The Republic of New Granada; and Granadines https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzco0029&id=2&men_tab=srchresults 1995 Columbia Constitution: “Conoce Nuestro Micrositio.” Contador De Visitas Gratis. Last modified 2021. Accessed September 20, 2022. https://www.corteconstitucional.gov.co/. |
| Freedom of Religion | History | Article 5(5) of the 1853 Constitution of New Grenada guaranteed: "The free profession of religion, whether public or private, so long as it does not disturb the public peace, offend good morals, or obstruct others in their worship;"
Article 19 of the 1991 Constitution states: "Freedom of religion is guaranteed. Every individual has the right to freely profess his/her religion and to disseminate it individually or collectively. All religious faiths and churches are equally free before the law." References: 1853 Constitution of New Grenada: English translation of the Spanish original text of the Constitution of 1853 202 (2009) Title I: The Republic of New Granada; and Granadines https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzco0029&id=2&men_tab=srchresults 1991 Colombia Constitution (rev. 2015): https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Colombia_2015 |
| Freedom of the Press | History | The first legal reference to press freedom in Colombia arose in Title 1, Article 16 of Cundinamarca’s Departmental Constitution in 1811 (Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes).
Article 156 of the 1821 Constitution of the Republic of Colombia protected freedom of the press: "All Colombians have the right of freely recording, printing, and publishing their thoughts and opinions, without the necessity of any examination, revision, or censorship, previous to publication. Those, however, who commit any abuse of this inestimable privilege, shall incur the punishments which they have deserved, conformably to the Laws." Today, Title II, Article 20 of Colombia’s 1991 Constitution protects press freedom: “Every individual is guaranteed the freedom to express and diffuse his/her thoughts and opinions, to transmit and receive information that is true and impartial, and to establish mass communications media (Constitute Project, “Colombia's Constitution of 1991 with Amendments through 2005” ). References: 1811 Cundinamarca Departmental Constitution: Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/constitucion-de-cundinamarca-30-de-marzo-de-1811-y-promulgada-el-4-de-abril-de-1811--0/html/ 1821 Constitution of the Republic of Colombia: English translation of the Spanish original text of the Constitution of 1821 718 (2009) Title VIII: General Regulations: https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.cow/zzco0007&id=21&collection=cow&index=# 1991 Colombia Constitution (rev. 2015): https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Colombia_2015 |
| Privacy Rights | History | Article 169 of the 1821 Constitution of the Republic of Colombia protected the privacy of the home, and article 170 of that Constitution protected the privacy of correspondence.
The 1991 Colombian constitution is very explicit in its privacy protections in Article 15. Section 1 grants privacy to people and family life, section 2 is for data privacy, section 3 is for correspondence (Constitute Project, “Colombia 1991 rev. 2015” ). References: 1821 Constitution of the Republic of Colombia: English translation of the Spanish original text of the Constitution of 1821 718 (2009) Title VIII: General Regulations: https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.cow/zzco0007&id=21&collection=cow&index=# 1991 Colombia Constitution (rev. 2015): https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Colombia_2015 |
| Voting Rights and Suffrage | History | Under Title III, Chapter II, all citizens 18 years of age have the right to vote in all elections. In addition, an Act may grant Alien’s who reside in Colombia the right to vote in municipal and district level elections. (Constitute Project, “Colombia’s Constitution of 1991 with revisions through 2015” ). |