URGENT ACTION

Yet more death threats against human rights organisations in South-West Colombia

by Asociacion Nomadesc
Santiago de Cali, 28th June 2010

At 10.22pm on Sunday June 27th 2010, a new death threat against a number of human rights organisations was sent via text message to human rights defender CRISTINA CASTRO GOMEZ(to the phone number 3177009645). Cristina works with the human rights NGO Committee of Solidarity with Political Prisoners (Fundacion Comite Solidaridad con Presos Politicos- FCSPP). The threat was sent from the same phone number (3157319271) as the previous threat which was received on 14th June by Cristina Castro Gomez and Aida Quilcue ex-leader of the Cauca Regional Indigenous Council (Consejo Regional Indigena del Cauca). The same organisations are threatened in both cases: human rights NGO Nomadesc, FCSPP, Permanent Committee of Human Rights (CPDH), community organisation ECATE, and trade union central CUT Valle.

The text of the message sentences to death the members of the organisations, and is as follows.

"guerrilla sons of whores, you are just about crying with fear, you will never be in peace, the Ministry of Interior’s help is coming to an end and you’re at our mercy, demobilize now or you die, no more truce for you FARC ideologists, there are few hours left nobody will save you, death to cpdh, Nomadesc, ECATE, Comittee of Prisoners. Death to you guerrilla sons of whores...and your families. Sincerely New Generation...new extermination policy..xrt"(sic

We stress that we at Nomadesc have received 5 similar threats against the lives of our members during the past two months.

Two of the messages have been received by human rights defender Cristina Castro, one was made via a phone call to the police headquarters in the city of Tulua (all three also threaten the Committee of Solidarity with Political Prisoners and ECATE). The other two were sent via text message to afro-Colombian leaders in Suarez municipality, and named as military objectives Nomadesc, CUT, Sintraunicol trade union, and several indigenous and Afro-Colombian organisations from the north of Cauca department including the Association of Indigenous Authoritis of Northern Cauca (Asociacion de Cabildos Indigenas del Norte del Cauca- ACIN), Black Communities Process(Proceso de Comunidades Negras- PCN), and the communal council of La Toma mining community.

Cristina Castro is a professor at the Valle university (Universidad del Valle) Tulua campus in the Social Work department, and was previously the coordinator of the Nomadesc investigation team. She is also a meber of the Red de Hermandad, a solidarity network which includes national and international human rights organisations.

Requests:

We demand that all actions necessary to protect the lives of the threatened individuals and organisations are taken, and that a thorough investigation is carried out into the repeated threats.

We request that all of you to publicly denounce these threats and demand decisive action from the Colombian state to prevent any attack against the threatened organisations.

We also urge all of you to demand that the Colombian government takes measures to prevent new human rights violations against communities in South-West Colombia.
If you are in Britain, you can direct your correspondence to the Colombian embassy at elondres@cancilleria.gov.co.

More institutional emails (sometimes not delivered):
ALVARO URIBE VELEZ
Presidente de la República
Carrera 8 No. 7 -26 Palacio de Nariño Bogotá
Fax. 5662071
FRANCISCO SANTOS
Vicepresidente de la República
Carrera 8 No.7-57 Bogotá D.C.
fsantos@presidencia.gov.co

General FREDY PADILLA
Ministro de la Defensa (E)
Avenida El dorado con carrera 52 CAN Bogotá D.C.
siden@mindefensa.gov.co
infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co
mdn@cable.net.co

FABIO VALENCIA COSSIO
Ministro del Interior y de Justicia
Avenida El dorado con carrera 52 CAN Bogotá D.C.
Fax. 2221874
ministro@minjusticia.gov.co

GUILLERMO MENDOZA DIAGO
Fiscal General de la Nación
Diagonal 22B No. 52-01 Bogotá D.C.
Fax. 570 20 00
contacto@fiscalia.gov.co
denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co

WOLMAR ANTONIO PEREZ ORTIZ
Defensor del Pueblo
Calle 55 No. 10 – 32 Bogotá D.C.
Fax. 640 04 91
defensoria@defensoria.org.co
secretaria_privada@hotmail.com

ALEJANDRO ORDÓÑEZ
Procurador General de la Nación
Cra. 5 No.15 – 80F Bogotá D.C.
anticorrupción@presidencia.gov.co
reygon@procuraduría.gov.co

Please cc your emails to:
ASOCIACION NOMADESC
Accionjuridica.nomadesc@gmail.com
CAMPAÑA PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR
dhprohibidolvidar@yahoo.com

Yet another Trade Unionist murdered in Colombia

Takes toll to 31 already this year

On Thursday 17th June, Nelson Camacho Gonzalez was murdered whilst he waited for a bus to go to work at 5.30am in his home city of Barrancaburmeja. Gunmen on a motorbike shot him several times before making their getaway. Nelson worked for Ecopetrol oil company, and was a member of the USO oil sector workers union. The union currently is currently in dispute with Ecopetrol and BP over working conditions. In a statement the union said that it has been the victim of a systematic campaign of violence and harassment by the government’s paramilitary allies throughout the dispute.


Nelson is the 31st trade unionist to be murdered this year in Colombia, making a mockery of the International Labour Organisation’s decision last week to remove Colombia from a ‘black list’ of countries where labour rights are not respected. The decision by the ILO was met with disbelief by trade unions in Colombia. A report released by the International Trade Union Confederation the same week showed that of the 101 trade unionists that were murdered throughout the world in 2009, 48 were Colombians, almost 50%. The report also stated that 557 trade unionists have been murdered during President Uribe’s eight years in office. Colombia accounts for more than 60% of the trade unionists murdered over the last decade around the world.

We call on all of you to speak out as soon as possible, and demand a clear response from the Colombian state, to stop this violent extermination of activists. We also call on you to demand a full, thorough and timely investigation by the Colombian state to ensure that this case does not end in the same impunity which exists in almost all political murders in Colombia.

If you are in Britain, you can direct your correspondence to the Colombian embassy at elondres@cancilleria.gov.co.

Controversial ex-Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos elected President of Colombia

Colombia’s presidential elections on Sunday 21st June saw ex-Minister of Defence Juan Manuel Santos win a landslide victory over his rival candidate Antanas Mockus. Santos was congratulated by President Alvaro Uribe, and vowed to continue with Uribe’s hardline security and neoliberal policies. Santos gained 69% of the votes to Mokcus’ 27.5%, with an abstention rate of 55%, and will take power on 7th August.

Santos pledged his full support to the armed forces, but promised to ensure that they operate with ‘full respect for human rights’. The claim failed to convince human rights organisations, which point to the fact that Santos was Minister of Defence between 2005-2008, when the bulk of the three thousand cases of extrajudicial executions which are being investigated by Colombian prosecutors took place. The scandal of the ‘false positives’ saw state forces murder civilians then dress them up in combat fatigues to present them as guerrilla combatants. In Chile’s military dictatorship, 3000 people were murdered between 1979 and 1990.

The President-elect also stated that his priority would be to continue to create jobs, whilst also vowing to improve relations with Colombia’s neighbours. Last year an Ecuadorian judge issued an arrest warrant for Santos in relation to an attack by Colombia in 2008, when Colombian commandos crossed the border into Ecuador to attack a camp of FARC rebels, deep in the jungle.

Santos vowed that there will be no negotiation in the armed conflict with FARC guerrillas, and that the only option is to continue to fight the FARC until they surrender. Despite widespread human rights violations, these hardline security policies continue to be popular amongst an electorate suspicious and hostile towards the FARC, which Amnesty International says also systematically violates human rights.
Many have pointed to widespread vote-buying and fraud in the election process in seeking to explain Santos’ victory. However, the margin of the victory is also testament to the success of President Uribe’s 2 administrations, with the help of partisan national media, in shifting public opinion to the right, despite a string of high-profile corruption scandals and international condemnation for its disdain for human rights.

Note: Colombian prosecutors say they are investigating around 2000 false positive cases. However, many human rights organisations and commentatos say that the real number is almost certain higher than 3000, but many victims' families are too fearful of reprisals to come forward.

No more violence! No more war! No more threats!

Indigenous, campesino, afro-Colombian communities and social sectors come together for the defence of life, peace and territory

This week more than 5000 people attended the Inter-ethnic and Social Public Assembly in Santander de Quilichao, Cauca department. The event, which took place on 14^th and 15^th June, saw indigenous, campesino and afro-Colombian communities come together with trade unions, human rights NGOs, students and women’s organisations come together to demand an end to the violence and intimidation which they are being subjected to by all groups in the armed conflict. The event was organised because of the continued intensification of the social and armed conflict in the South-west of Colombia, in particular in Cauca and Valle del Cauca department, under the slogan “for the defence of life, peace and territory”.

This year indigenous and afro-Colombian communities in Northern Cauca department have suffered scores of deaths and casualties at the hands of the army and FARC guerrillas, who have engaged in heavy combat in their territories. Both sides are ignoring International Humanitarian Law and human rights legislation by engaging in combat in civilian areas, and trying to force the civilian population to collaborate with them, thus putting the civilian population in grave danger. Jorge Arias, leader of the ACIN indigenous organisation, said “we say to the armed groups- leave, and leave now. This is not our war. We do not want your war. Army, guerrilla, paramilitaries- all of you- leave now. This is our territory: we will not leave”.

As the presidential elections approach and the administration of President Uribe draws to a close, the past 2 months have also seen a sharp upsurge in paramilitary violence and threats against community leaders, trade unionists, human rights defenders and other social sectors in all of Colombia. A report by Somos Defensores this month said that during May 7 human rights defenders were murdered in Colombia, and 102 social organisations received paramilitary threats. On Sunday 23^rd May, campesino leader Alexander Quintero was murdered in Santander de Quilichao, Cauca department. Alexander was President of the Alta Naya Association of Community Councils, and a key figure in the investigation into the Naya massacre, in which paramilitaries with support from state forces killed more 100 indigenous and Afro-Colombian community members in April 2001, and forcibly disappeared another 60.

The assembly began with a colourful and noisy march down the Panamerican Highway, which stopped only once at the point where Andres Quintero was murdered in order for marchers to pay their respects.

The level of paramilitary activity was made clear when several of the organisations involved in organising the event received death threats before the event started on the morning of 14^th June. The threats, which arrived by text message, stated “the assembley will be a guerrilla assembley, yet again we have proved that you carry out the FARC’s ideological process death to Nomadesc, FCSPP, CPDH, ECATE, CUT, you will not be saved.x1y” (sic).

Speakers at the event publicly denounced the Colombian state’s non-presence. The government and state institutions responsible for the protection of human rights and the respect of rural communities’ territories were invited to the assembly, but none of the accepted the invitation. “How long are they going to keep killing us? We must organise ourselves, we must keep marching and protesting, its the only way they will take any notice of us. It is our responsibility to protest in the Minga of Social and Communitarian Resistance in July. Please join us,” said Feliciano Valencia, indigenous leader and spokesman for the Minga of Social and Communitarian Resistance. Social sectors are planning mass demonstrations during July to counter the Colombian state’s celebrations of 200 years of Colombian independence.

Urgent Action

Human rights organisations in Southwest Colombia department receive paramilitary death threats yet again
Upsurge in paramilitary persecution and violence continues in the region

At 1am and 8am respectively on the morning of Monday 14th June, a threat arrived by text message to the mobiles of human rights defender Cristina Castro (Committe of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, FCSPP) and indigenous leader Aida Quilcue. The message declares as military objective the following organisations: human rights NGO Nomadesc, FCSPP, Permanent Committee of Human Rights (CPDH), community organisation ECATE, and trade union central CUT Valle. The text read:
“the assembley will be a guerrilla assembley, yet again we have proved that you carry out the FARC’s ideological process death to Nomadesc, FCSPP, CPDH, ECATE, CUT, you will not be saved.x1y” (sic)

The message refers to the Inter-ethnic and Social Public Assembley held this week on Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th June in the town of Santander de Quilichao, Cauca department to denounce and draw attention to repeated human rights violations and violations of International Humanitarian Law committed by state forces, paramilitaries and FARC guerrillas against indigenous, afro-Colombian and campesino communities and social sectors in Valle del Cauca and Cauca departments. All of the organisations mentioned, apart from ECATE, were involved in organising the assembly, which had the participation of the UN and several international human rights organisations. The threat was reported to prosecutor’s office (fiscalia) in Popayan.

Antecedents since the beginning of May
• The threat arrives at a time of increased violence, intimidation and harassment of social sectors in Colombia. A report released last week by Somos Defensores showed that 102 human rights organisations were threatened during May in Colombia, with 7 human rights defenders killed. The Colombian government has remained silent on the issue.
• In the southwest region, on Sunday 23rd May, campesino leader Alexander Quintero was murdered in Santander de Quilichao, Cauca department. Alexander was President of the Alta Naya Association of Community Councils, and a key figure in the investigation into the Naya massacre, in which paramilitaries with support from state forces killed more 100 indigenous and Afro-Colombian community members in April 2001, and forcibly disappeared another 60.
• On 27th May, a man claiming to be a profesional soldier called up the police’s emergency line in the city of Tulua, stating that Berenice Celeyta, coordinator of human rights NGO Nomadesc, ECATE and FSCPP must leave the region immediately because there was an order to kill them.
• Aida Quilcue has been the victim of constant persecution since November 2008, when she led the Minga of Social and Communitarian Resistance in a heated public debate with president Alvaro Uribe about the human right situation in Colombia. Her husband Edwin Legarda was murdered by the Colombian army a month after the debate. On Friday 11th June, six soldiers were found guilty of the crime by a judge in the city of Popayan. Aida and her daughter, Mayerly Alejandra Quilcue, were subjected frequent surveillance and harassment during the court case.
• On 5th May, Berenice Celeyta and Nomadesc, CUT Valle and Sintraunicol were named in a paramilitary threat as military objectives along with several human rights defenders, trade unionists, indigenous and Afro-Colombian leaders and organisations from Valle del Cauca and Cauca departments. The threat was signed by Aguilas Nuevas Nueva Generacion (Black Eagles New Generation) paramilitary group.


We call on all of you to speak out as soon as possible, and demand a clear response from the Colombian state, including a full investigation into these acts of violence and intimidation, in order to prevent an attack against any member of the threatened organisations.

If you are in Britain, you can direct your correspondence to the Colombian embassy at elondres@cancilleria.gov.co.





ASOCIACION PARA LA INVESTIGACION Y ACCION SOCIAL NOMADESC
PROCESO DE COMUNIDADES NEGRAS PCN
ASOCIACION DE CABILDOS INDIGENAS DEL NORTE DEL CAUCA ACIN
CONCEJO COMUNITARIO LA TOMA
COORPORACION SERVICIOS PROFESIONALES COMUNITARIOS SEMBRAR
FUNDACION COMITÉ DE SOLIDARIDAD CON PRESOS POLITICOS VALLE DEL CAUCA
RED DE HERMANDAD Y SOLIDARIDAD CON COLOMBIA REDHER
CAMPAÑA PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR
DEPARTAMENTO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS CUT-VALLE
SINTRAUNICOL
CONSEJO REGIONAL INDÍGENA DEL CAUCA
CRIC
MINGA DE RESISTENCIA SOCIAL Y COMUNITARIA

Six soldiers found guilty of the murder of Colombian indigenous leader’s husband

Monday 14th June 2010

Last Friday a judge in the south-western city of Popayan, Colombia, found six soldiers guilty of the charge of murder in relation to the death of Edwin Legarda on 16th December 2008. A seventh soldier was acquitted because it could not be proved that he had fired his weapon. Legarda was the husband of Aida Quilcue, then leader of the Cauca Regional Indigenous Council (CRIC)and spokesperson of the Social and Communitarian Minga. In November 2008 Aida led the Minga’s mass-demonstrations, including a heated televised debate with President Alvaro Uribe. Edwin was killed less than a month after the debate in an attack seemingly meant for Aida herself (you can see Aida’s speech in the debate at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ev5ypoxWL4). The Minga was very successful in drawing national and international attention to the systematic human rights violations by the Colombian army, paramilitaries and the FARC guerrilla group.

The attack took place at 4am whilst he was on his way to pick up Aida, who had just arrived from Geneva where she had participated in the UN Periodic Review of Human Rights. The soldiers fired 116 bullets at the official CRIC car which Edwin was driving, fatally wounding Mr Legarda. Immediately after the killing President Uribe and army figures claimed that Edwin had failed to stop at an army checkpoint, and for this reason the soldiers opened fire. However investigators proved that no such checkpoint existed. Prosecutors in the case stated that had Edwin not managed to drive another 3 kilometres from the scene of the attack before succumbing to his injuries then the soldiers were planning to dress his corpse up in guerrilla fatigues and thus substantiate the government’s claims that the indigenous movement and the Minga are ‘terrorist’ organisations.

The soldiers will be sentenced on August 16th. After the judgement Aida praised the judge’s impartiality in the face of political pressure and intimidation, and insisted that she will not stop until she sees those who gave the order for Edwin’s murder also face justice. “These soldiers (who were found guilty) are all from humble backgrounds: we know they were following orders of their superiors. We demand to know who gave the order, and to see them behind bars too.”

Aida visited the UK in September 2009 at the invitation of Unison, NTUC and the Colombia Solidarity campaign. During her visit she met with MPs, trade unionists, the Latin community and students to raise awareness about the human rights situation in Colombia. She continued, “People must realise that whilst this case has been resolved very quickly, this is a big exception to the rule. There are thousands and thousands of cases which remain in total impunity, and more indigenous leaders, human rights defenders and trade unionists are being the victim of political violence everyday. People need to realise that in Colombia nothing has changed, and not believe what the Colombian government says.”

President Uribe and his government have repeatedly publicly criticised the Colombian justice system when it pursues cases of human rights violations by the armed forces and corruption by his governing coalition. Last week he announced a new legislative project which if approved would see cases of human rights violations and crimes against humanity involving soldiers being tried in the military justice system as opposed to the civilian justice system. Uribe argues that this law is necessary in order to protect soldiers whilst they are serving their country. Human rights groups, however, argue that the move would ensure impunity in the cases.