In Colombia the armed conflict is inextricably intertwined in a socio-economic conflict that emerges form the stark of inequalities of wealth, power, and access to knowledge resources in the country. The Public University is a forum for solutions to this conflict, a public space where those affected can gain access to knowledge and skills, exchange ideas, discuss, debate and work towards peaceful and socially just society. By presenting alternatives to war and injustice, the Public University presents a challenge to the current political and economic system and as such those involved social and political activities are subject to ongoing and brutal repression resulting in the flagrant violation of human rights.

The global imposition of neoliberal economic policy has created a situation by which public services are rapidly becoming viewed as tradable products to be provided by the private sector rather than rights or public goods, the responsibility for the provision of which lies with the State. The education sector has not been excluded from this process and is currently valued at an estimated US$2 trillion internationally. The impetus for privatisation so as capitalise on this market has been globally pervasive. Privatisation of higher education engenders a number of problems arising from the conflicting aims of private companies and those of the University as a social institution; the discord between the profit motive and that of providing education a social good. These problems include:

• Reduced accessibility due to reduction of state funding and consequent increased costs to users.
• Focus and direction of academic research determined by potential profitability.
• More job losses and lower pay across the Higher education sector to increase profitability.
• Lack of student choice and opportunity to learn through deletion of courses not directly related to business or seen as undesirable by private investors.
• Curtailment of academic freedom, social criticism and threat to democracy by forcing the termination of the contracts of individuals and research proposals that are critical of powerful commercial sponsors.

While both privatisation and resistance to it are global phenomena, it is the ongoing State reppression of resistence that singles out Colombia and demands national and international action in defence of human rights. In colombia the implementation of the neoliberal economic model including privatisation and deregulation are accompanied by a parallel process: the criminalisation of social protest, the later facilitating the realisation of the former.

In light of this the Public University in Colombia, as forum for debating the realities of society and proposing alternatives, is under threat from both privatisation and state repression. Those that have exercised their democratic right to have an opinion, to speak out, to organise resistance and protest against government policies fuelling the armed and social conflict have been met with unremitting violence. Students, teaching and administrative staff have had their homes ransacked in illegal searches, have been threatened, displaced, arbitrarily detained, beaten, exiled, kidnapped, disappeared and assassinated by state and quasi state paramilitary groups. For the resolution of the conflict, for a functioning democracy, for the future of the country and for all those that have fallen victim to state violence it is time to take action…

Recorded Human Rights Violations in the Last Two Deacades:

STUDENTS: 29 Assassinations, 22 Death Threats, 9 Disappearances, 2 Kidnappings, 11 Illegal house searches, 35 Arbitrarily Detentions, 4 Arbitrarily Charged and 5 Injured by police,

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF: 6 Assassinations, 46 Death Threats, 4 Disappearances, 5 Exiled, 6 Harrasments, Attempted assassinations, 7 Illegal house searches, 6 Arbitrarily Detentions.

TEACHING STAFF:27 Assassinations, 1 Disappearances.