April 28, 2008
Colombia
Many members of human rights
groups, trade unions and indigenous groups are being threatened
and even killed following the March 6 worldwide demonstrations
against human rights violations in the country.
On 6 March, a coalition of human rights
organizations, trade unions, indigenous groups and other
organizations participated in a series of demonstrations in
Colombia and around the world. The demonstrations condemned
human rights violations committed by the Colombian security
forces and army-backed paramilitary groups. Those who belong to
organizations believed to have been involved in the
demonstration have been threatened or killed, both before and
since the march.
On 11 March a number of organizations, many of
which participated in the 6 March events, received a death
threat via email, purportedly from the paramilitary Metropolitan
Front of the Black Eagles in Bogotá (Aguilas Negras – Bloque
Metropolitano de Bogotá). The threat accused the organizations
of being "guerrillas" and named them as "military targets". The
email said: "You used the march on 6 March this year to bring us
down further and turn people against us, we will begin to kill
you one by one, we mean business, and we won’t leave any loose
ends” (Ustedes utilizaron dicha marcha del 06 de marzo del
presente presente (sic.) año para undirnos (sic.) mas y poner la
gente en contra nuestra, comenzaremos a matarlos uno por uno.
Vamos a ser implacables no dejaremos cabo suelto). It goes on to
say “Watch out you sons-of-bitches, your days are numbered” (Ojo
hijos de perra que sus dias estan contados). The threat included
photographs taken of one of the marches and said “we will start
to disappear left-wing leaders such as….” (Comenzaremos a
desaparecer líderes y dirigentes de izquierda como…..). It gives
a list of 28 individuals – 18 of whom are women and many of whom
belong to human rights, indigenous and other organizations which
participated in the march – that they say they plan to abduct.
The threat also included the names of several human rights
organizations, trade unions, and other groups.
A number of trade unionists and human rights
activists, some of whom were closely involved in organizing
events or whose organizations participated in them, were killed
or threatened just before or soon after 6 March. On 4 March,
Carmen Cecilia Carvajal, a member of the trade union ASINORT was
killed in Ocaña, Norte del Santander Department. On 8 March,
Leonidas Gómez, of the UNEB banking union, was found dead in his
apartment in Bogotá. On 7 March, Gildardo Antonio Gómez of the
teachers’ union ADIDA, was killed in Medellín. On 12 March, the
body of Carlos Burbano, a leader from the health union ANTHOC
and organizer of the march in southern Colombia, was found dead
in San Vicente del Caguán, Caquetá department.
Adriana González, a member of the human rights
group CPDH and organizer of the march in Pereira, Risaralda
Department, survived an apparent attempt on her life when gunmen
fired on her house on 29 February. Iván Cepeda, a leading member
of the coalition group, the National Movement of Victims of
State Crimes (Movimiento Nacional de Víctimas de Crímenes de
Estado, MOVICE) and one of the main organizers of the March
demonstration also received email death threats before and after
the march.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On 6 March, the demonstrations organized by
MOVICE took place in more than 24 locations in Colombia, and in
a further 70 cities in 60 other countries.
On 4 February 2008, demonstrations also took
place in Colombia and around the world to protest against human
rights abuses committed by the guerrilla group the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de
Colombia, FARC). On 11 February, presidential adviser José
Obdulio Gaviria suggested that the 6 March demonstration was
being organized by the FARC. On 14 March, the Vice-minister of
the Interior issued a statement rejecting the death threats sent
to various organizations on 11 March.
Human rights organizations, trade unions and
other social organizations have often been labelled as guerrilla
collaborators or supporters by the government officials, as well
as by the security forces and paramilitaries. Such accusations
have often been followed by threats or attacks against human
rights activists.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
personally-worded appeals
- expressing concern for the safety of members
of human rights groups, trade unions, indigenous and other
organizations following the 6 March demonstrations;
- urging the authorities to ensure that all
measures deemed appropriate by the individuals and organizations
named in the threat issued on 11 March, are taken to guarantee
their safety;
- calling for full and impartial investigations
into the killings of social activists and the death threat
issued on 11 March, the results of which should be made public
and those responsible brought to justice;
- calling for decisive action to confront and
dismantle paramilitary groups and investigate and break their
links with the security forces, in line with repeated UN
recommendations;
- calling on the authorities to produce policy
and plans, in conjunction with human rights defenders, to
guarantee their safety according to the principles of the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights and Responsibilities of
Individuals, Groups and Institutions to Promote and Protect
Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,
and to make these plans public.
APPEALS TO:
Señor Presidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez
Presidente de la República
Palacio de Nariño, Carrera 8 No.7-2
Bogotá, Colombia
Fax: 011 57 1 337 5890 or 342
0592
Salutation: Dear President Uribe / Excmo.
Sr. Presidente Uribe
Dr. Francisco Santos Calderón
Vicepresidencia
Carrera 8A No 7-27
Bogotá, Colombia
Fax: 011 57 1 565 7682 (Ask for
fax tone: “Me da tono de fax por favor.”)
Salutation: Dear Vice-president Santos /
Estimado Sr. Vicepresidente Santos
Attorney General:
Dr. Mario Germán Iguarán Arana
Fiscal General de la Nación, Fiscalía General de
la Nación
Diagonal 22B (Av. Luis Carlos Galán No. 52-01)
Bloque C, Piso 4
Bogotá, Colombia
Fax: 011 57 1 570 2000 (a message
in Spanish will ask you to enter extension 2017)
Salutation: Estimado Sr. Fiscal / Dear Mr
Iguarán
COPIES TO:
His Excellency Jaime Giron Duarte
Ambassador for Colombia
360 Albert Street, Suite 1002
Ottawa, Ontario K1R 7X7
Fax: (613) 230-4416
E-mail:
embajada@embajadacolombia.ca
Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Sr. Fernando Araújo Perdomo
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
Calle 10 No 5-51, Palacio de San Carlos
Bogotá, Colombia
Fax: 011 57 1 562 7822
Human Rights organization:
Corporación Colectivo de Abogados ‘José Alvear
Restrepo’
Edificio Avianca, Calle 16 No. 6-66 Piso 25
Bogotá, Colombia
Please respond quickly to this massive threat.
Thank you.
More info at:
http://www.amnesty.ca/urgentaction
