Alejandra Díaz Cortés

Occupation:

Country Expert on Colombia and the Andean Region — Attorney and Bilingual Legal Analyst

Summary

Colombian attorney with a Bachelor of Laws and a specialisation in environmental liability and sustainability, working bilingually with United States law firms and with public sector legal teams in Colombia. Covers the position of social, land and environmental defenders, a group facing high rates of killings in Colombia, political opposition members, trade unionists and journalists, indigenous and Afro descendant communities, internal displacement and regional Venezuelan displacement, and gender based and conflict related violence. Works in Spanish and English.

Countries of Expertise

Colombia, with regional coverage of the Andean region: Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.

Details of Country Expertise

Country conditions analysis on Colombia, with regional coverage of the Andean region, for asylum and international protection claims.

Political opinion and human rights defenders. Political opposition members and supporters, social, community and human rights defenders, land and environmental defenders, trade unionists, journalists, former combatants and signatories of the peace accord, and individuals at risk for their real or imputed political opinion.

Ethnicity. The mestizo majority of Colombia and the Andes, indigenous peoples of Colombia including Wayúu, Nasa, Embera, Misak and Arhuaco, indigenous peoples of the wider Andean region including Quechua, Aymara and Amazonian communities, and Afro descendant communities including Afro Colombian, Raizal and Palenquero.

Religion. Roman Catholics, evangelical and Protestant Christians, adherents of indigenous and Afro descendant spiritual traditions, and religious and social pastoral leaders targeted for their work.

Displacement and vulnerable groups. Refugees, asylum seekers and the large internally displaced population of Colombia, regional Venezuelan displacement, women and girls at risk of gender based and conflict related sexual violence, LGBTQ+ individuals, children recruited by armed groups, victims of trafficking, and campesino and coca region communities.

Legal and documentary work. Legal research, document management, contract review, intake and verification of sensitive personal and legal data, and preparation of legal reports and responses to rights of petition and administrative requests.

Experience

Legal Assistant for case management and client support at a United States law firm since 2026, working bilingually with attorneys on case files, client communication and document review. Legal Assistant for legal intake and administrative support at the Municipality of Funza in 2026. Legal Assistant and contract support at the Municipality of Mosquera in 2025, working on pre contractual and post contractual processes and responses to rights of petition. Specialisation in Environmental Liability and Sustainability, Agrarian University Foundation of Colombia, 2023. Bachelor of Laws, same university, 2021.

Languages

Spanish — Native
English — Upper Intermediate (B2+)

Political Groups Expertise

Political opposition members and supporters, social, community and human rights defenders, land and environmental defenders, trade unionists, journalists, former combatants and peace accord signatories, and individuals at risk for their real or imputed political opinion.

Other Social Groups Expertise

Refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons, social, land and environmental defenders at risk, women and girls at risk of gender based and conflict related sexual violence, LGBTQ+ individuals, children recruited by armed groups, victims of human trafficking, and campesino and coca region communities.

Ethnic and Religious Groups Expertise

Indigenous peoples of Colombia and the Andes including Wayúu, Nasa, Embera, Misak, Arhuaco, Quechua and Aymara, Afro descendant communities including Afro Colombian, Raizal and Palenquero, and religious minorities and pastoral leaders targeted for their work.