Iván Velásquez Gómez (born 12 May 1955) is a Colombian jurist and diplomat. From October 2013 to September 2019, he was the head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).

Biography

Iván Velásquez was born in Medellín, Colombia. He studied law at the

University of Antioquia The University of Antioquia ( es, Universidad de Antioquia), also called UdeA, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university located primarily in the city of Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, with regional campuses in Amalfi, Andes ...

. Later, he was appointed Antioquia Deputy Prosecutor during 1991 and 1994, where he initiated investigations related to torture, extrajudicial executions and abuses. In 1996 he was assistant magistrate in the Council of State, and a year later he was elected Regional Director of Public Prosecutors' Offices in Medellin for 1997 to 1999. He was elected auxiliary magistrate of the

Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia The Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia ( es, Corte Suprema de Justicia de Colombia) in Bogotá is the highest judicial body in civil and penal matters and issues of criminal and civil procedure in Colombia. The Supreme Court of Colombia is th ...

in 2000. Between 2006 and 2012, Velásquez coordinated the Commission of Investigative Support of the Criminal Chamber, in charge of investigating the Parapolitica case. In 2011 he was awarded the World Human Rights Prize by the

International Bar Association The International Bar Association (IBA), founded in 1947, is a bar association of international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. The IBA currently has a membership of more than 80,000 individual lawyers and 190 bar associa ...

and a year later the Association of German Judges awarded him for his commitment in the fight against corruption. At the end of September 2013, he was appointed Commissioner of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) at the level of Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations Organization, replacing Francisco Dall'Anese. In 2018 he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award along with

Thelma Aldana Thelma Esperanza Aldana Hernández (; born 27 September 1955) is a Guatemalan jurist and politician, former President of the Supreme Court and former Attorney General. Life Aldana was born in Gualán, eastern Guatemala, in 1955. She graduated ...

for "their innovative work

ith CICIG The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

in exposing abuse of power and prosecuting corruption, thus rebuilding people’s trust in public institutions." On 27 June 2022 he was appointed new

Defense Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in s ...

under President-elect Gustavo Petro.''Colombia President-elect Petro names Ivan Velasquez as defense minister''
reuters.com, retrieved 27 June 2022

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Velásquez Gomez, Iván Living people 1955 births 20th-century Colombian lawyers University of Antioquia alumni University of Antioquia faculty 21st-century Colombian judges Colombian officials of the United Nations People from Medellín Cabinet of Gustavo Petro Colombian Ministers of Defense 21st-century Colombian politicians