The Chicago Colombia Committee, in conjunction with other US and Colombian human rights organizations, is organizing an International Human Rights Tribunal to investigate the massacre of the civilian population that occurred on Dec. 13, 1998 in the hamlet of Santo Domingo, department of Arauca (eastern plains of Colombia). Over 20 civilians, including many children, died after their village was bombed by the Colombian Air Force. Eyewitnesses have alleged that US forces were involved in the attack.
The Tribunal will be modeled on similar recent tribunals held in Barrancabermeja, Colombia, Toronto and Montreal, Canada. It plans to focus on the responsibility of the Colombian state in human rights violations, with special attention given to the impact of escalating US military involvement in Colombia.
The Tribunal is scheduled to convene in Chicago this September.
For more information, contact the Chicago Colombia Committee by phone at 773-862-5125 or by email at maya@igc.org.
