Catalina Botero Marino

Summary

Catalina Botero Marino is a Colombian attorney and expert in constitutional law,

international human rights law, and transitional justice. Holding a law degree from the
Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), she has also done postgraduates studies in
constitutional law, human rights, public administration, and administrative law. In 2015
and 2016 she was designated deputy judge of the Constitutional Court of Colombia.
Currently she is a senior advisor for entities such as Unesco and the Electoral Tribunal for
the Judicial Power of the Federation of México. She is a member of the Academic Council
of the Center for Constitucional Studies of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation of
Mexico and an invited expert to diverse academic projects such as Global Freedom of
Expression and Information of the University of Columbia in New York;
LatinAmericaGoesGlobal of the Faculty of International Affairs of the same university and
the global observatory Internet & Jurisdiction Project. In 2016 she has been professor of
the University Externado de Colombia and the Academy of Human Rights and International
Humanitarian Law of American University. She is a founding partner of the Centro de
Estudios de Derecho, Justicia y Sociedad (DeJusticia), a member of the Directive Board of the
Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP) and the international academic committee of
the Centro de Estudios de Libertad de Expresión y Acceso a la Información (CELA) of the
University of Palermo (Argentina).

From 2008 to 2014, she was Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the
Organization of American States’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (ICHR)
of the Organization of American States (OAS). Prior to being elected Rapporteur, was she
worked for eight years at the Constitutional Court of Colombia as Acting Judge and
Deputy Judge. She also worked as special advisor to the Attorney General of the Nation of
Colombia and General Director of the Office of the People’s Ombudsman of Colombia. She
has participated in more than 200 academic conferences and lectures in institutions
throughout the Americas and Europe.

1
Professional Experience

2015-2016 Professor of the University Externado de Colombia

Deputy judge of the Constitutional Court of Colombia
Advisor for the Electoral Tribunal for the Judicial Power of the Federation
of México
Member of the Academic Council of the Center for Constitucional Studies of
the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation of Mexico
Invited expert of the project Global Freedom of Expression and Information
of the University of Columbia
Invited expert of the project LatinAmericaGoesGlobal of the Faculty of
International Affairs
Member of the observatory Internet & Jurisdiction
Member of the academic committee of the Centro de Estudios de Libertad de
Expresión y Acceso a la Información (CELA) of the University of Palermo
Member of the Directive Board of the Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa
(FLIP)
Senior advisor of international entities such as Unesco

2008-2014 Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Organization of

American States’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

1992-1993 Deputy Judge of the Constitutional Court of Colombia, and elected

1995-2000 temporarily as Acting Judge of the Court by its judges in 2007.
2005-2008

2003-2005 Director of Oficina de Derechos Humanos y Derecho Internacional Humanitario

de la Fundación Social, a Colombian non-governmental organization for the
promotion of peace and social development.

2004 Founding partner of the Centro de Estudios de Derecho Justicia y Sociedad

(Dejusticia) a non-governmental organization for the defense of human rights
in the Americas whose objectives include the defense of the victims of mass
human rights violations, as well as lobbying for suitable transitional justice
processes.

2000-2003 Director of Dissemination and Human Rights Promotion of the Office of the
People’s Ombudsman’s of Colombia

1994-1995 Special advisor to the Attorney General of the Nation of Colombia

Teaching Experience
2014-2016 Professor
School of Law, Universidad Externado, Colombia.

2013, 2014, Visiting Professor

2015, 2016 Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Washington College of Law, American University, United States
Courses on Freedom of Expression in the Inter-American Human Rights
System

1989-1990, Professor
1993-1997, School of Law, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia.
2000, Courses of constitutional law, human rights and mechanisms for protection
2004-2008 of fundamental rights

1994 Professor
School of Law and Political Science, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Course on constitutional law
Publications
Selection of Institutional publications elaborated with the team of the Special
Rapporteurship of Freedom of Expression of the OAS

2013 Violence Against Journalists and Media Workers: Inter-American standards

and national practices on prevention, protection and prosecution of
perpetrators.
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, IACHR. Washington, D.C
Published in 2014

2013 Freedom of Expression and Internet

Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, IACHR. Washington, D.C
Published in 2014

2013 National Jurisprudence on Freedom of Expression and Access to

Information
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, IACHR. Washington, D.C.

2012 Reparations for the Violation of Freedom of Expression in the Inter-

American-System.
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, IACHR.Washington, D.C.

2012 Principles on the Regulation of Government Advertising and Freedom of

Expression.
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, IACHR. Washington, D.C.

2012 The Right to Access to Information in the Americas. Inter-American

Standards and Comparison of Legal Frameworks.
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, IACHR. Washington, D.C.

2012 The Inter-American Legal Framework Regarding the Right to Access to

Information. Second Edition.
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, IACHR. Washington, D.C.

2010 A Hemispheric Agenda for the Defense of Freedom of Expression. Special

Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, IACHR. Washington, D.C.

2010 The Inter-American Legal Framework Regarding the Right to Freedom of

Expression. Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, IACHR.
Washington, D.C.

2010 Freedom of Expression Standards for Free and Inclusive Broadcasting.

Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, IACHR. Washington, D.C.
Selection of other academic publications

2016 Guía político-pedagógica sobre la incorporación de la temática de libertad de

expresión y de acceso a la información publica en la formación de operadores
judiciales en América Latina
Senior consultant. UNESCO. Montevideo, Uruguay

2015 El sistema nacional de transparencia en México

Editor: Jacqueline Peschard Mariscal. Universidad Autónoma of México.
Chapter: El modelo mexicano de transparencia en el contexto latinoamericano.

2015 Libertad de expresión y censura global

Editor: Péter Molnár. University Press. Budapest, Hungría.
Chapter: Avances jurisprudenciales y desafíos persistentes para la libertad de
expresión en las Américas.

2014 El Derecho en América Latina. Un mapa para el pensamiento jurídico del siglo
XXI Coordinator: César Rodríguez Garavito. Siglo Veintiuno Editores.
Buenos Aires, Argentina. Chapter: Problemas persistentes y desafíos emergentes
en materia de libertad de expresión en las Américas.

2011 Acesso a Informação e Direitos Humanos. Acervo - Archivos Nacionales del

Ministerio de Justicia de Brasil. Vol 24, N 1
Chapter: O Direito de Acesso a Informação Relativa a violações em Massa
de Direitos Humanos.

2011 “Freedom of Expression in Latin America: The Inter-American Human

Rights System”. In: Revista: Harvard Review of Latin America. In
collaboration with Harvard University David Rockefeller Center for Latin
American Studies, Cambridge, England.

2009 La Reforma del Proceso de Amparo: experiencias comparadas.

Editors: Pablo Pérez Tremps and Samuel Abad. Palestra Editores, Lima,
Peru. Chapter: “La acción de tutela en Colombia: Ajustes necesarios y cautelas
indispensables”.

2009 Derechos, costumbres y jurisdicciones indígenas en América Latina contemporánea.

Editor: Laura Giraudo Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales,
Madrid, Spain. Chapter: Jurisdicción indígena y multiculturalismo

2007 El sistema de los derechos: Guía práctica del Sistema Internacional de Protección de
los Derechos Humanos. AECI. Bogotá, Colombia (Coauthor).

2007 Tendencias actuales del Derecho Constitucional.

 With Jesús María Casal H. et al. Universidad Central de Venezuela,
Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Caracas, Venezuela. Chapter: El conflicto
de las altas cortes colombianas en torno a la tutela contra sentencias"

2007 Teoría constitucional y políticas públicas. Bases críticas para una discusión
Editors: Manuel José Cepeda y Eduardo Montealegre Lynett, Universidad
Externado de Colombia. Chapter: La acción de tutela contra providencias
judiciales.

2007 Estado de derecho y sentencias judiciales. Series on Democracy and the

Judiciary, ILSA, Bogotá, Colombia. (Coauthor)

2006 Libertad de prensa y derechos fundamentales. Análisis de la jurisprudencia

constitucional en Colombia (1992-2005). Legis, Bogotá, Colombia (Coauthor).

2006 La acción de tutela en el ordenamiento constitucional colombiano. Rodrigo Lara

Bonilla Judiciary School, High Council of the Judiciary, Bogotá, Colombia.

2006 Derecho Penal Internacional y Justicia de Transición. In: Revista Anual de la

Facultad de Jurisprudencia, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.

2005 La protección judicial de los derechos fundamentales en Brasil, Spain y Colombia,

Emilio Pajares (coordinator), Tirant lo Blanch, Series on Comparative Law,
Valencia, Spain. Chapter: El control de constitucionalidad de las sentencias en
Colombia

2005 Entre el perdón y el paredón: Preguntas y dilemas de la justicia transicional.

Universidad de los Andes, IDRC, Angelika Rettberg, editor. Bogotá,
Colombia. Chapter: Estándares Internacionales y Procesos de Transición en
Colombia

2004 Multiculturalismo y derechos de los pueblos indígenas en la jurisprudencia de la

Corte Constitucional colombiana. Precedente, Anuario Jurídico, University
Icesi. Cali, Colombia; 2003. Revised and updated and revised in Constitución
y pluralismo jurídico. Quito, Ecuador. National Editorial
Corporation/Instituto de Derecho Público Comparado Manuel García
Pelayo.

2004 La Ley de Alternatividad Penal y Justicia Transicional. Fundación Social and

International Center for Transnational Justice (ICTJ), Bogotá, Colombia.
(Editor).

2004 Economía social de mercado y tratados de libre comercio en Colombia. Fundación

Social and Fundación Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Bogotá, Colombia.
2003 La Jurisdicción Constitucional en Colombia. In Revista del Instituto de Derecho
Público Comparado Manuel García Pelayo, Universidad Carlos III in
Madrid, Spain.

2002 Tutela contra providencias judiciales. In Revista Precedente, Anuario Jurídico,

School of Law and Social Studies, Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia.

2002 La constitución económica. In Memorias del Primer Curso Internacional de

Derecho Parlamentario, Legislative Assembly of Panama, Panama City,
Panamá.

2001 Los preámbulos constitucionales en Iberoamérica, Cuadernos y Debates 113

Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales. Madrid, Spain. Chapter: El
valor normativo del preámbulo de la Constitución.

2000 Libertad de información, Democracia y control judicial: la jurisprudencia

constitucional colombiana en perspectiva comparada. In Anuario de Derecho
Constitucional Latinoamericano, Ed. Ciedla, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung,
Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Coauthor)

1999 Los derechos constitucionales de los jóvenes. High Mayoralty of Bogotá, Bogotá,
Colombia.

1999 Sexualidad y educación en la Constitución Política. High Mayoralty of Bogotá,

Bogotá, Colombia.

1993 Constitución Política comentada. Legis, Bogotá, Colombia.

1992 Intervención del Estado en la economía colombiana. In Revista de Derecho

Privado, No. 9, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia, 1992.
(Awarded honorable mention for José Ignacio de Márquez prize, Bogotá,
1990).
Selected Invited Presentations (2012-2016)
2016 Presenter of the report Los Criticos no son Delincuentes
Committee for the Protection of Journalists, Lima Perú

2015 Conference Libertad de expresión y comunicación política

Tribunal Electoral del Poder Judicial de la Federación, México, D.F.

2015 “Freedom of Expression in the Inter-American Human Rights System”,

course offered at American University, Washington College of Law. Part of
the summer program offered by the university's Academy on Human Rights
and Humanitarian Law. Washington, D.C. USA.

2015 Invited Panelist to the Seminar “Violence and Peace”

Director: Sergio Aguayo, Colegio de México, México, D.F.

2015 Member of the jury and the panel for the award “Global Freedom of
Expression”.
Columbia University, Nueva York.

2015 Invited speaker to the conference “A Review of Global Freedom of

Expression Jurisprudence in 2014”.
Columbia University, Nueva York.

2015 Invited speaker to the conference “CONNECTing the Dots: Options for
Future Action”
UNESCO, París

2015 Invited speaker to the congress Diálogos Judiciales en el Sistema

Interamericano de Garantía de los Derechos Humanos
Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Supreme Court of Mexico and Inter-American
Court of Human Rights. Barcelona.

2014 Invited speaker to the celebration event of the renovation of the Convenio de
Cooperación y Asistencia Técnica entre el Órgano Judicial y la Asociación
Panameña de Ejecutivos de Empresa
Ciudad de Panamá.

2014 Invited speaker to the celebration of the 15 years of the Center for Freedom
of Press.
Puerto Rico.

2014 Invited speaker to the seminar of the Council of Europe about mechanisms
of protection and promotion of freedom of expression.
Estrasburgo.
2014 Invited speaker at the regional encounter of European Union staff in Latin
America
Guatemala.

2014 Invited speaker to the panel El derecho a la privacidad en la era digital

27° Sesión Regular del Consejo de Derechos Humanos.
ONU, Ginebra.

2014 Invited speaker to the seminar La libertad de expresión en internet

Fundación Getulio Vargas, Sao Paulo.

2014 Invited speaker to the congress “Liberdade de Expressão - na mídia, nas

redes e nas ruas”
Debate with Frank La Rue about Fredom of Expression in media, social
media and the streets. Artículo 19 e Intervozes. Escuela de Derecho
Universidad de Sao Paulo.

2014 Invited speaker to the 10o Congresso Brasileiro de Periodistas

Sao Paulo.

2014 Lecture on the right of access to information

UNAM, México, D.F.

2014 Invited speaker to the course La jurisprudencia en materia de libertad de

expresión y acceso a la información, reparaciones sobre la materia. El derecho de
rectificación y respuesta.
II Curso de Formación en el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos
Dr. Héctor Fix-Zamudio. UNAM, México, D.F.

2014 Opening speech at the international conference of freedom of expression Sin

protesta no hay democracia
Artículo 19. México, D.F.

2013 “Press Freedom, Press Standards and Democracy in Latin America”,

International event on freedom of press, speech and democracy standards in
Latin America. Columbia University, October, New York. USA.

2013 Principles of freedom of expression and broadcasting for Free and Inclusive
Broadcasting. Open Society Foundation, October, Río de Janeiro, Brazil.

2013 “Freedom of Expression in Crisis”. “8th Global Investigative Journalism

Conference”, Participation in three sessions regarding protection of
journalists. Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. October, Río de
Janeiro, Brazil.
2013 Inter-American Standards of the right to freedom of expression. Seminar at
the Judicial School of the Attorney General's Office, September, Panama.

2013 The right of access to information. Forum de Periodistas, September

Panama.

2013 Right to Freedom of Expression, Universidad Santa Maria la Antigua,

September, Panamá.

2013 Protección a los Periodistas y libertad de expression subsecretaría de Derechos

Humanos de la Secretaría de Gobernación. Lecture titled. “Los estándares
interamericanos en relación con la protección de periodistas, September, México
City, México.

2013 La jurisprudencia en materia de libertad de expresión y acceso a la información,

reparaciones sobre la materia. El derecho de rectificación y respuesta, conference at
the National Autonomous University. September, Mexico City, México.

2013 Right for freedom of expression in the human rights system. National
Autonomous University. September, Mexico City, México.

2013 International standards on freedom of expression, Course for journalists.

Universidad Iberoamericana. Julio, México.

2013 “Freedom of Expression in the Inter-American Human Rights System,”

course offered at American University, Washington College of Law. Part of
the summer program offered by the university's Academy on Human Rights
and Humanitarian Law. June,Washington, D.C. USA.

2013 Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in all Media. UNESCO and
the University of Peace, to commemorate the Press Freedom Day. May,
Mexico.

2012 “The rules of the inter-American system governing freedom of expression.”

conference held for directors of media outlets at the Palace of the
Government. , November, Lima, Peru.

2012 “Children, Adolescents, and the Media”, seminar organized by the Office of
the Human Rights Ombudsman. November, Lima, Peru.

2012 “The Access to Information as a Human Right: A Challenge in the Provision

of Justice" Lecture, delivered at the International Seminar on Access to
Information, Data Protection and Accountability of the Judiciary of the
Federation, organized by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation and the
Council of the Federal Judiciary. November, Mexico.
2012 “Fundamental Freedoms and Accountability.” Conference held at the
international seminar “Accountability Challenges in Latin America.”
organized by the Mexico office of the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias
Sociales (FLACSO) and the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
(CIDE), among other institutions. October, Mexico City, México.

2012 “Freedom of Expression in the Inter-American Human Rights System,”

course offered at American University, Washington College of Law.
Summer program offered by the university's Academy on Human Rights
and Humanitarian Law. June, Washington, D.C.

2012 Change Your World—Yahoo! Business & Human Rights Summit on

Women and Social/Digital Media”. Yahoo Business & Human Rights
Program, September, Mexico City.

2012 "Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela: The Big Three and their Impact on Press
Freedom in the Region". “Media in a Challenging World”, World congress,
Instituto Internacional de Prensa (IPI). June, Trinidad y Tobago.

2012 “World Press Freedom Day 2012 New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to
Transform Societies”. Panelist in the session on “The Decriminalization of
Speech”. UNESCO. May, Tunisia.
Awards and honors

2015 Grand Prize Chapultepec, Inter-American Press Association

2014 Awards from the Associação Nacional de Jornais (ANJ) de Brasil for the
defense of freedom of expression

2014 Chosen by Semana magazine Colombia and La Fundación Libertad y

Democracia, as one of the leaders of Colombia in 2014.

2013 Chosen by the Grupo Diarios de las Américas (GDA), as one of the five most
prominent figures in the region in 2013.

2012 Chosen by Semana magazine Colombia and La Fundación Libertad y

Democracia, as one of the leaders of Colombia in 2012.

2012 Selected by Fundarte Foundation and La Marca Colombia as one of the

hundred most prominent Colombians abroad.

2005 Choosen by Semana magazine of Colombia, as one of 40 leaders under 40

years old in Colombia.

1997 Scholarship from American University to attend course on international law

and human rights, American University, Center for Human Rights &
Humanitarian Law.

1992 Cum laude honors for thesis in human rights specialization at the Human
Rights University Institute, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.

1991 Scholarship from Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional to aid in

doctoral research on constitutional law, Spain.

1990 Scholarship from the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights to attend

the course entitled International Human Rights Law, in San Jose, Costa
Rica.

1990 Honorable mention in José Ignacio de Márquez prize competition for

“Intervención del Estado en la economía colombiana, 1880-1936,” Colombia.
Education
Law degree from the Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá, 1988), with graduate study
in public administration and administrative law from that university as well (1989);
graduate studies in human rights from the University Human Rights Institute of the
Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain (1990-1991); graduate studies in constitutional
law and political science at the Centro de Estudios Constitucionales in Madrid (1992);
certificate of advanced studies (diploma de estudios avanzados, DEA) from Universidad
Carlos III in Madrid and doctoral candidature from the same university.

Shorter academic courses have included, among others, International Law and
Human Rights: Application of International Human Rights Instruments in Domestic
Courts, Washington College of Law, American University, Washington, DC, 1997;
Multiculturalism and Human Rights, Workshop, Hyderabad, India, 1992; Inter-
Disciplinary Human Rights Course, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, San José,
Costa Rica, 1990.