Civil Rights, Political Representation and Environment: The regressive effect of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Colombia.

Recently, the Constitutional Court of Colombia has taken a more restrictive approach in relation to the rights it concedes to the people under its jurisdiction. A regressive tendency has gained strength inside the Court, that is taking a second look to topics which have been settled long time ago. The right to self-determination of the people has suffered the most in this context, as well as the legal protection of the environment. People in the regions of Colombia have lost their saying when it comes to definition of the future of their closest environment, rulings such as those related to the popular consultation have striped the citizens of towns, where mineral extractions are planned, off their right to participate in the public sphere. By limiting this form of referendum the Court has not only restricted the political rights of these people, but has also deprived them of the right to democratically resist projects that can incide negatively in the satisfaction of their rights.