Colombia has taken one small step in a long walk to find justice for the thousands of Colombians victims of human rights violations, said Amnesty International as the Colombian government sacked 25 members of the military accused of killing civilians.

“At last, the Colombian government is admitting there is a human rights problem in the country and that action needs to be taken to solve it. That action should be justice, said Susan Lee, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

“The government must now ensure that the thousands of other killings and disappearances carried out by the security forces are independently investigated and the responsible tried by civilian courts. Effective measures must be put in place to once and for all put an end to this practice, which tragically continues to be all too common across Colombia.”

The decision came a day after Amnesty International published an in-depth report looking at the human rights situation in Colombia.

• Read the report