It was founded in 1979 by legal professionals in an effort to defend victims from different segments of the society in human rights violation cases. At a time when Columbia was ruled by governments pursuing radical conservative and militarist policies, it has taken up various litigation cases of arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and torture. It is named after the prominent Columbian lawyer, democracy and human rights defender José Alvear Restrepo.
The Collective played an active role in the peace negotiations between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Columbian Government over the armed conflict that started in the 1960s due to poverty, political exclusion, and drugs trafficking. The peace process resulted in the signing of the historic peace agreement in 2016. After the cessation of hostilities, the Collective has made significant contributions to the transitional justice process. It has secured emblematic court decisions that set the legal precedent for uncovering the historical foundations of socio-political violence as well as establishing the truth behind conflicts. It has undertaken numerous activities promoting the right to political participation of the parties to the armed conflict. It has taken up the cases of assassinated human rights defenders and trade union leaders. It has paid special attention to the protection of land rights of indigenous peoples in Columbia, and represented vulnerable indigenous communities in legal proceedings.
In recent years, it has been working with villagers and indigenous communities of African descent, striving to protect their land against extractive industries. It supports the creation of an international legal framework that would allow multinational companies to be hold accountable for their violations of human rights in relation to climate change.
Enjoying the support of various international institutions and professional organisations, among others, the Collective is affiliated to the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), the Coalition for the International Criminal Court and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). The Collective has received numerous national and international awards recognizing its efforts in uncovering the truth, preserving the memory of the conflict period, giving visibility to the impact of the [armed] conflict on human lives.
The Collective and its members have been unlawfully subjected to surveillance and threatened by the Columbian secret service. They have been targeted through smear campaigns and faced with bogus charges. Numerous attempts have been made to halt the activities of the Collective. Regardless of all these attacks and political obstacles, the lawyers of the Collective have continued their work, at the expense of risking their lives.

It went on air on 13 November 1995 as a regional radio station broadcasting in the metropolitan Istanbul area and its environs. It has hosted more than 1200 radio programmes, majority of which was produced by more than 1300 volunteers. As a rare example of a genuine community radio, 99% of its programmes are curated and presented by volunteers who “work” on a totally voluntary basis. Its radio programmes are highly diverse, ranging from ecology to economy, sociology to psychology, politics to philosophy, literature to poetry, science, history, archaeology, anthropology, fundamental rights and freedoms, and activism. Its music programmes introduce to its listeners very diverse genres and music cultures from different corners of the world, embracing a rich pluralism.
Its programmes dwell particularly on the future of the planet, global climate crisis, war and peace, struggle for rights, activism, and earthquake. Having ran every possible warning bell against the global climate crisis for many years, it has made pioneering efforts in this field through its broadcasts. Throughout its broadcasting history, it has encouraged people to take action against climate change. It has spearheaded the movements acting against climate change and defending climate justice in Turkey. Having aired live many demonstrations and actions, it increased the visibility of these movements. A great number of its radio hosts took active roles in organizing a rally in Istanbul in 2005 in parallel to the Global Day of Action rallies in other cities across the world, calling for the signing and ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. As part of this global rally, the first of its kind on this topic, the Istanbul rally secured the second highest number of demonstrators across the world, right after London. In 2014, during the historic People’s Climate March held in New York with the gathering of 400,000 people from around the planet, the radio hosted a remarkable broadcast marathon.
As a not-for-profit radio station, despite all the hardships it has continued its activities by preserving its full independence, without any affiliation to interest groups. It has always adhered to its principles of independence, diversity, and freedom of expression. In an effort to secure the sustainability of its independence, in 2004, it launched the project ‘Listener‘s Support’, ensuring the participation of its listeners in the collective efforts of its founders and volunteering programme hosts. In this way, thanks to the constant financial contribution – and intellectual input – from its listeners, it has become a permanent medium. It has been recognized in Turkey and internationally through 60 awards. The station continues its broadcasts 24/7, currently airing 142 programmes produced and presented by 239 radio hosts.
The radio promotes independent music and supports local artists. Built collaborations between local civil society initiatives, universities and cultural institutions over the years. Fosters dialogue between different segments of the society through workshops, cultural events, festivals, exhibitions, and public forums.

She holds a PhD in Politics from Princeton University, a JD from Yale Law School, an M.Phil in Social and Political Thought from Cambridge University, and a BA from Williams College.
Aslı Bâli is Professor of Law at Yale Law School where she teaches International Law, International Human Rights Law and advanced seminars in international humanitarian law. Bali co-directed Yale’s Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization. Prior to joining the faculty at Yale, she was a professor at the UCLA School of Law where she was the Founding Faculty Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights and Director of the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies. She currently serves as the President of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA), the preeminent scholarly membership organization in the field. Her research focuses on two broad areas: public international law—including human rights and humanitarian law—and comparative constitutional law, with a focus on the Middle East. Her scholarship has appeared in numerous law reviews and peer-reviewed social science journals and she is co-editor of two volumes addressing different facets of institutional design and comparative constitutional law from Cambridge University Press. She co-chairs the Advisory Council for the Middle East and North Africa Division of Human Rights Watch and serves as a non-resident fellow of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Before becoming an academic, Bâli worked as a human rights lawyer at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

She completed her education at Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences and York University. She is a founding member of the History Foundation and a member of the General Assembly of the Women's Library. She served as the Chair of the Department of Political Science at Istanbul University Faculty of Political Sciences and taught courses such as "Political Theory," "History of Political Thought," "Contemporary Political Theories," and "Theory of Democracy." In the Women Studies Department, she taught "Feminist Theories." She held the positions of Director of the Istanbul University, Women Studies Application and Research Center, Chairperson of the Women's Works Library and Information Center Foundation, and represented Turkey on various international platforms. Berktay, who has taught courses and given lectures at universities in the United States, Europe, and Australia, has published numerous articles and chapters in the fields of political science and women's studies, both domestically and internationally. Her work titled "Women in the Face of Monotheistic Religions" was published as "Women and Religion" in Canada, and her book titled "The Gender of History" was published in Lebanon under the title "El Huviyye en Nisaiye 'abr et Tarih." Following her books "The Call of Politics" and "Loving the World Today – Hannah Arendt's Understanding of Politics," she published a book titled "Ethics of Thinking," and she continues to work on political ethics, political evil, and feminist history..

He is an attorney running a law office in Yerevan, Armenia. He specializes in international human rights law and criminal law. He has successfully litigated dozens of human rights cases in the European Court of Human Rights concerning gross human rights violations such as torture, detention, gross violations that occurred in times of war and military conflicts. As an expert, he provides consultancy to several international organizations such as the CoE, the EU, the UN on different human rights issues and different aspects of legal reforms in Armenia. He also teaches human rights law in the Justice Academy and the Academy of Advocates in Armenia. He has several publications concerning hate speech, hate crimes and other human rights issues.