José Jans Carretero
Litigation team at the Tribunales de Bogotá, Consejo Superior de la Judicatura, Colombia

Tribunales de Bogotá · Colombia

Advocacy & Consulting

Turning strategic litigation into precedent.

A decade of strategic litigation, amicus curiae briefs, and policy advice before Colombian high courts, the Inter-American system, and the International Criminal Court — alongside human-rights reports that have been cited by the UN, the IACHR, and the ICC.

Constitutional court interventions & amicus curiae

Amicus curiae briefs, citizen interventions, and constitutional actions filed 2017–2023. Where available, the ruling number links directly to the Constitutional Court's Relatoría.

Year Court Ruling Topic Context
2023 Constitutional Court SU-545/2023 Rights of Indigenous communities. UIS Legal Clinic.
2023 Constitutional Court SU-546/2023 Systemic violations against human-rights defenders. UIS Legal Clinic.
2022 Constitutional Court T-087/2023 and T-452/2022 Freedom of speech and media regulation. Carlos Gaviria Díaz Strategic Litigation Legal Clinic (UIS).
2020 Constitutional Court C-040/2020 and C-069/2020 Challenge to the National Security Policy. CAJAR.
2019 Constitutional Court — Sex workers’ rights in the National Police Statute. CAJAR.
2019 Council of State 201800444 Drug policy as a public health matter. Strategic litigation (CAJAR).
2019 Supreme Court of Justice 20190252 Restrictions on state force during social protest. CAJAR.
2019 Constitutional Court C-590/2019 and C-050/2020 Victims’ rights in the JEP Procedure Law. CAJAR / FIDH consulting.
2018 Constitutional Court C-017/2018 Truth Commission — institutional autonomy and the right to truth (DL 588/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2018 Constitutional Court C-018/2018 Statute of the Opposition (PLE 003–006/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2018 Constitutional Court C-019/2018 Technical defense of victims (DL 775/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2018 Constitutional Court C-027/2018 Political reintegration of former combatants (AL 3/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2018 Constitutional Court C-067/2018 Truth Commission — autonomy and archives (DL 589/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2018 Constitutional Court C-070/2018 Suspension of arrest warrants against security forces (DL 706/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2018 Constitutional Court C-076/2018 Citizen intervention — AL 5/2017 on paramilitarism. CAJAR.
2018 Constitutional Court C-080/2018 Victims’ rights in the JEP Statutory Law (PLE 008–016/2017). CAJAR.
2017 Constitutional Court C-408/2017 Victim representation during Fast Track legislation (Law 1830/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2017 Constitutional Court C-433/2017 Reform to Law 1448/2010 on child victims (DL 671/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2017 Constitutional Court C-608/2017 National Council for Peace, Coexistence and Reconciliation (DL 885/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2017 Constitutional Court C-630/2017 Legal stability of the Peace Agreement and the right to peace (AL 2/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2017 Constitutional Court C-644/2017 Payment for environmental services and community rights (DL 870/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2017 Constitutional Court C-674/2017 Command responsibility & victims’ rights in the SIVJRNR (AL 1/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track review of the Peace Agreement implementation.
2017 Constitutional Court C-730/2017 Territorial Development Programs with a Peace Approach — citizen participation (Decree 893/2017). CAJAR — Fast Track.
2017 Constitutional Court D-12489 Unconstitutionality challenge to Arts. 43 & 44 of Law 1801/2017 — equality and sex workers’ rights in the Police Code. CAJAR — challenge to the Police Statute.
2017 Constitutional Court T-6406743 Environmental licensing of transgenics / tutela action (Grupo Semillas). CAJAR.

This list covers 26 selected interventions. The full portfolio (30+) includes additional submissions before the IACHR and ICC not listed here. Request full case log →

José Jans Carretero Pardo at the ICC Assembly of States Parties, The Hague, 2019
ICC Assembly of States Parties · The Hague · 2019

Strategic litigation portfolio

Most recently, I served as Lead Counsel for Judicial Representation before Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), as a staff attorney with the SAAD-Víctimas in the Secretaría Ejecutiva. I led a team of six attorneys and two assistants representing more than 2,079 individual and 26 collective victims in the macro-cases on extrajudicial executions ("false positives") — work that contributed to the indictment of 25 army officials, including five generals, for 303 victims in Casanare and 135 in the Caribbean region. Earlier, I was senior attorney at the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers' Collective (CAJAR), international consultant for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and attorney at the Committee in Solidarity with Political Prisoners (CSPP). Across these roles I filed more than 30 amicus curiae briefs and constitutional actions before Colombia's Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the JEP, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the International Criminal Court.

Policy & human rights reports

  • 2020 · FIDH & CAJAR (Carretero Pardo, principal drafter)
    Colombia at Risk of Impunity: Blind spots of transitional justice regarding international crimes under ICC jurisdiction
    transitional justiceICCColombia
  • 2020 · CSPP et al. (Carretero Pardo, co-author)
    Dismantling Paramilitarism: Proposal for public policy guidelines
    paramilitarismpolicy
  • 2019 · CAJAR
    Web of Impunity: Voices of resilience against state and paramilitary violence in Magdalena Medio (1998–2000)
    impunityhuman rightsColombia
  • 2019 · CAJAR
    The true story of the Wiwa people, from the heart of the world, in the context of the internal armed conflict (1990–2017)
    indigenous rightsarmed conflict

Consulting, expert reports & training

I advise organizations, attorneys, and public institutions on transitional justice, constitutional litigation, victims’ rights, and rights mobilization. I also deliver training on clinical legal education and strategic litigation methodology.

  • Expert reports and testimony (peritajes)
  • Strategic litigation and amicus curiae briefs
  • Constitutional challenges (demandas de inconstitucionalidad)
  • Fundamental rights actions (tutelas)
  • Training on clinical legal methodology and strategic litigation

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Contact

Let’s talk.

Research collaborations, consulting briefs, expert testimony, speaking invitations, or press inquiries — this inbox is open.

Or write directly: jcarr74@uic.edu