SUMMARY

On October 11, 2001, the Colombian Supreme Court issued a verdict in favor of conjugal visitation rights for Alba Nelly Montoya, a lesbian in prison, and her partner. The Court has mandated the director of Risaralda Women´s Prison -where Ms. Montoya is carrying her sentence- to make all necessary arrangements for the lesbian visit to take place, in conditions that are equal to those of heterosexual visits.

The first case of this nature brought before the Colombian Justice system was that of Marta Alvarez, who has taken her claim to the Interamerican Human Rights Commission. Ms. Alvarez' was the first case ever accepted by the Commission on the grounds of discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Colombian government has been negotiating a solution with Ms. Alvarez for the last two years.

The legal victory obtained in the case of Ms. Montoya will most probably force a resolution for Ms. Alvarez and for other lesbians that are or will be in the same situation in the future.

In her letter communication the resolution, Marta Lucia Tamayo R. -a heterosexual feminist lawyer, member of the National Women's Network- who fought both cases, says: "This triumph belongs to Martica Alvarez and Alba Nelly, who had the courage to show their faces and fight publicly for love; to women in prison; to lesbians; to the National Women's Network, Bogota section; to the Pedreira Ombudsman office".

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) would like to add that this victory also belongs to allies like Marta Tamayo, who have fought for years, with absolute dedication and almost no resources, for a cause that somebody could argue, does not affect them personally. But we know it does, because -to recover the Beijing slogan- lesbian rights are human rights.

Please send your congratulations and support to Marta Lucia Tamayo R. at tamayorincon@yahoo.com - she will deliver them to Alba Nelly Montoya and Marta Alvarez.

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