82 FR 43640 - Certification Related to Foreign Military Financing for Colombia Under Section 7045(b)(6) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 179 (September 18, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 179 (Monday, September 18, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 43640]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19837]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 10130]


Certification Related to Foreign Military Financing for Colombia 
Under Section 7045(b)(6) of the Department of State, Foreign 
Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017

    Pursuant to the authority vested in the Secretary of State, 
including under section 7045(b)(6) of the Department of State, Foreign 
Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017 (Div. J, Pub. 
L. 115-31) I hereby certify and report that:
    (1) The Peace Tribunal and other judicial bodies within the special 
jurisdiction for peace are independent and have authority to document 
``truth declarations'' from perpetrators of gross violations of human 
rights and to sentence such perpetrators to meaningful sanctions, 
including victims' reparations, guarantee of non-repetition, and 
deprivation of liberty;
    (2) Military personnel responsible for ordering, committing, or 
covering up cases of false positives, including those in command 
authority, are being investigated, prosecuted, and appropriately 
sanctioned, and military officers credibly alleged to have committed 
such crimes are removed from positions of command authority until the 
completion of judicial proceedings; and
    (3) The Government of Colombia is continuing to dismantle illegal 
armed groups, taking effective steps to protect the rights of human 
rights defenders, journalists, trade unionists, and other social 
activists, and protecting the rights and territory of indigenous and 
Afro-Colombian communities.
    This Certification shall be published in the Federal Register and, 
along with the accompanying Report and Memorandum of Justification, 
shall be transmitted to the appropriate committees of Congress.

    Dated: September 11, 2017.
Rex W. Tillerson,
Secretary of State.
[FR Doc. 2017-19837 Filed 9-15-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4710-29-P