IACHR grants precautionary measures in favor of Juan Camilo Castaño and Gloria Nancy Gutiérrez in Colombia

August 28, 2025

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 58/2025 on August 18, 2025, to grant precautionary measures in favor of Juan Camilo Castaño and his mother, Gloria Nancy Gutiérrez, in Colombia, in the belief that they face a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to their rights.

According to the request for these precautionary measures, the whereabouts of Castaño Gutiérrez are unknown since March 25, 2025, when he was abducted by four armed men. Since these events, the proposed beneficiary's mother has allegedly been subjected to threats and extortion by members of a criminal organization, even as she searches for her son. Although formal complaints have been filed to denounce the abduction of Castaño Gutiérrez, he has not been found to date.

The State reported that the Office of the Attorney General and the Colombian Institute of Legal and Forensic Medicine had taken various measures to establish the whereabouts of Castaño Gutiérrez, including activating the Urgent Search Mechanism and adding his genetic profile to the Missing Persons Genetic Profile Bank. The State further noted that the beneficiary's mother had failed to activate the applicable protection mechanisms. The State said it would continue to report on progress made and action taken by the authorities of competent jurisdiction in connection with this case.

When assessing this request for precautionary measures, the IACHR took into consideration the allegations in the broader context in Colombia. The IACHR acknowledged the measures taken by the State in this case. However, the IACHR noted with concern other information that was provided, particularly the lack of progress in the search for Castaño Gutiérrez and in efforts to establish his condition more than four months after he was abducted by armed men.

The IACHR also noted that, although State authorities had known about threats against the mother of Castaño Gutiérrez, there was no evidence that any protection measures had been taken in her favor. Consequently, in keeping with Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR asked the State of Colombia to take the following action:

1. Adopt any measures necessary to establish the whereabouts and condition of Castaño Gutiérrez, in order to protect his rights to life and personal integrity
2. Take all necessary measures to protect Gloria Nancy Gutiérrez from threats, extortion, and other acts of violence while she continues to search for her son and to denounce his disappearance
3. Come to an agreement with Gloria Nancy Gutiérrez and her representatives concerning any measures that need to be taken
4. Report on any actions adopted to investigate the alleged events that gave rise to the adoption of these precautionary measures, in order to prevent such events from happening again in the future

The fact that these precautionary measures have been granted and their adoption by the State do not entail a prejudgment on a potential petition that may be filed before the inter-American system to allege violations of rights protected by the American Convention on Human Rights and other applicable instruments.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 174/25

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