It's clear that the defense of human rights and international humanitarian law is seen by some in Colombia as a criminal act, which we reject categorically. These attacks must be aggressively investigated and those responsible should be punished. Jos Miguel Vivanco Executive director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch Local sources report that a bomb was detonated near an outside door at IPC's offices about 1 a.m. The offices are located in the city's Prado Centro neighborhood.
Official reports indicate that the shock wave destroyed much of the office.
A taxi driver who happened to be passing when the bomb exploded was treated and released from a nearby hospital. Unknown individuals also detonated bombs outside the offices of a Medell n labor union. In the cities of Bogot , Cali, Barranquilla, and Barrancabermeja, police have recorded several bomb attacks on banks and other civilian offices which they have attributed to guerrilla groups. These attacks must be aggressively investigated and those responsible should be punished. Vivanco noted that in January, paramilitaries acting on the orders of Carlos Casta o kidnapped four IPC employees, but eventually released them all, thanks in part to international pressure.