Urgent Alerts – Urgent Actions

  • From:       Justice for Colombia
  • To:           soaw-w@peacehost.net
  • Subjects:   Political Prisoners in Colombia / Colombian Army Assassinates Three Senior Trade Unionists
  • Date:       Aug 4, 2004 9:26 AM / Aug 6, 2004 2:01 AM
    Dear Friends,

            Justice for Colombia has received updated statistics from the Colombian Committee for Political Prisoners (an internationally respected human rights NGO) that give detailed information about the number of people who have been detained by the Colombian security forces during the first two years of the Alvaro Uribe Velez presidency.

            During the period in question (August 2002 -- July 2004) the figures show that a total of 6,590 people have been detained for political reasons.  This is a vast increase on the numbers detained in previous years and adds credence to the charge that the Uribe Velez regime is cracking down on dissent with scant regard for human rights.

            According to the statistics those detained include at least 24 trade union leaders, 29 human rights defenders, 13 indigenous activists, 141 leaders of social movements, 261 student activists, 38 religious activists, 37 displaced community leaders and at least one defense lawyer.

            Please e-mail the Colombian president (ppdh@presidencia.gov.co) along the following lines (or see surface mail address below:
     

      Dear President Uribe,

      I am very disturbed to learn that in the two years since you came to power an astonishing 6,590 people have been detained for political reasons, including a vast number of civil society activists such as trade unionists and human rights defenders.

      It seems clear that this is a tactic aimed at weakening any and all opposition to the militarization and privatisation policies your government is pursuing. Please give me an assurance that this shocking programme of arbitrary detentions will cease immediately and that the very many innocent civilians held in prison without charge will be released.

      Yours sincerely,


    [Message #2]:

    Dear Friends,

    News has come through that the Colombian Army yesterday murdered three trade union leaders in the municipality of Fortul in the department of Arauca.  Two other trade unionists, including the regional President of the CUT were detained.  All five of the victims were well known to Justice for Colombia and our recent British trade union solidarity delegations to Colombia had met with some of them.  

    Those killed were:

    • Leonel Goyeneche, Treasurer of the CUT trade union federation in Arauca
    • Jorge Prieto Chamucero, President of the health workers' union ANTHOC in Arauca
    • Hector Alirio Martinez, President of the agricultural workers union ANUC in Arauca


    Those detained were:

    • Samuel Morales Florez, President of the CUT trade union federation in Arauca
    • Maria Raquel Castro, an activist with the Arauca teachers' trade union ASEDAR


    The Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos as well as General Luis Fabio Garcia, the commander of the 2nd Division of the Colombian Army whose troops were responsible for the massacre, have both claimed that those killed were in fact guerrillas.  Defence Minister Jorge Alberto Echavarria described all three as "delinquents".  This is a complete fabrication and all five victims are interntionally known trade union activists -- indeed, Samuel Morales, was recently in the United Kingdom as a guest of Amnesty International.

    Carlos Rodriguez, the national president of the CUT trade union federation, has described the murders as the "annihilation of our movement in Arauca" and progressive Congressman Wilson Borja has called for those government officials that have described the victims as guerrillas to "immediately resign".

    Justice for Colombia asks all supporters to write to the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez expressing their outrage at the murders and the subsequent accusations that the victims were guerrillas, calling for the immediate release of the two detained trade unionists and calling for a full and impartial investigation to be carried out and for those responsible to be punished.  

    President Uribe's e-mail address is ppdh@presidencia.gov.co Please also send a copy of your protest to the Colombian Embassy in London at mail@colombianembassy.co.uk.  [Surface mail addresses below.]


    Addresses for future reference:
      Alvaro Uribe Velez, President of the Republic of Colombia
      Palacio de Narino, 
      Carrera 8 No. 7-26, 
      Bogotá, Colombia
      auribe@presidencia.gov.co

      General Carlos Alberto Ospina, Commander of the Colombian Armed Forces
      Ministerio de Defensa Nacional, 
      Avenida El Dorado con Carrera 52, 
      Bogotá, Colombia
      comunicacion@mindefensa.gov.co

      Bill Rammell MP, Minister for Latin America
      House of Commons
      London, SW1A 0AA
      rammellb@parliament.uk

    For further information please see the "Take Action" section of www.justiceforcolombia.org.

    		 

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