Assassination of SINTRAEMCALI leader in Cali, Colombia and a body guard
PSI appeals to all its affiliate organisations to write letters of
protest to the President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe Velez following two
assassinations this weekend in Cali.
Ricardo Barragán Ortega, a well-known trade unionist, member of the PSI
affiliate, SINTRAEMCALI and active in the campaign to oppose the
privatisation of the Cali Municipal Water and Electricity Plant (EMCALI)
was assassinated on January 17th.
Ricardo Barragán was Installations Inspector at the Water Plant and had
worked at the plant since 1989. He had been instrumental in drawing up
the EMCALI financial rescue plan and was known for his active
participation in protest rallies.
On January 17th at 16:45, Ricardo was off-duty on his way to act as
umpire at a local football match. He was driving in his own car to the
Navarro warehouses (Centro Operative Bodegas Navarro), when two persons
riding high-cylinder motorbikes intercepted him at the junction of the
South East Highway and Avenue 36. Ricardo was shot in the head 5 times
and died shortly afterwards.
It should be pointed out that this assassination took place at a busy
intersection in daylight hours so it could be presumed that there are
many potential witnesses.
During the funeral of Ricardo, on January 19th, PSI was informed that a
bodyguard, Leyton Banquero, was shot and killed. Leyton was providing
security for the SINTRAMECALI Executive Board member, Domingo Angulo
Quiñonez, as part of the Ministry of Interior protection programme for
unionists whose lives have been threatened.
Please write a letter to the government with a copy to the PSI, to the
Colombian mission in your country and your Minister of Labour.
See model letters in English and Spanish below:
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A model letter in Spanish (translation in English below)
Ref: Urgent Action 01/04
auribe@presidencia.gov.co
(If you have problems with this email address, please either ask the
Colombian Embassy in your country to send the letter or open the
following website: http://www.presidencia.gov.co and click at the bottom
of the homepage on “Escribale al presidente”.)
Estimado Presidente Alvaro Uribe Vélez,
Nombre de su organización ha sido informada del asesinato de Ricardo
Barragán Ortega, empleado desde hace muchos años de la empresa municipal
EMCALI EICE y miembro del sindicato SINTRAEMCALI, afiliada de la ISP.
Este asesinato, perpetrado el 17 de enero pasado en Cali, ocurrió en
horas del día y en una intersección vial muy transitada, por lo que
suponemos habrá sido presenciado por muchos testigos.
Asimismo, nuestra organización fue informada del asesinato, unos días
después, de Leyton Banquero, un guardaespaldas contratado por el
Ministerio del Interior para la protección del miembro del Consejo
Ejecutivo de SINTRAEMCALI, Domingo Angulo Quiñónez.
Nuestra federación sindical internacional, que representa a 20 millones
de empleados públicos a nivel mundial, se une a muchos otros sindicatos
del sector público en el mundo entero para instar a su gobierno a que
ordene una investigación completa sobre estos crímenes, a fin de poder
arrestar, enjuiciar y castigar a sus autores materiales e intelectuales.
Atentamente,
CC Vice-Presidente Francisco Santos fsantos@presidencia.gov.co CC Fiscal
General de la Nación contacto@fiscalia.gov.co CC Procurador General de
la Nación reygon@procuraduria.gov.co CC PSI rights@world-psi.org CC
SINTRAEMCALI Fax: +5728881159 CC Misión de Colombia en su país CC
Ministro del Trabajo en su país
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Model letter (English translation)
Dear President Alvaro Uribe Velez,
Name of organisation has been informed of the assassination of Ricardo
Barragán Ortega, long-standing employee of the EMCALI EICE municipal
company and member of the PSI affiliate, SINTRAEMCALI. This
assassination took place on January 17th in Cali, at 16:45 pm in
daylight hours and at the junction of a busy highway intersection, where
it can be presumed that there were many potential witnesses.
Our organisation has also been informed of the subsequent assassination
of Leyton Banquero, a bodyguard working under the Ministry of Interior
protection programme on behalf of the SINTRAEMCALI Executive Board
member, Domingo Angulo Quiñonez.
Our trade union joins with many other public sector unions throughout
the world in calling upon your government to carry out a thorough
investigation of these crimes and to arrest, charge, and punish the
intellectual and moral authors.
Yours Sincerely,
CC Vice-Presidente Francisco Santos fsantos@presidencia.gov.co CC Fiscal
General de la Nación contacto@fiscalia.gov.co CC Procurador General de
la Nación reygon@procuraduria.gov.co CC PSI rights@world-psi.org CC
SINTRAEMCALI Fax: +5728881159 CC Colombia mission in your country CC
Minister of Labour in your country
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