Amnesty International is extremely concerned for the safety of the
individuals named above, who are listed in a written death threat
delivered to the offices of the national non-governmental human
rights organization Sembrar on 6 December.
The letter states: 'Sons-of -bitches: for being guerrilla informers and
collaborators of the ELN damned dogs 'Yolanda Ceron'. Next death
list Nelson Urrego (sic) Blanca Valencia Ludivia Giraldo Sandra
Herrera Diana Herrera for being sinners soon you will know more'
'Hijueputas no se van a burlar: por sapos y colavoradores (sic) del
E.L.N. perros - malditos ' yolanda Ceron' Lista muerte proxima Nelson
Urrego (sic) Blanca Valencia Ludivia Giraldo Sandra Herrera Diana
Herrera justos por pecadores muy pronto sabran (sic) mas (sic)'
Three days before the letter was delivered, Diana Herrera was kept
under constant surveillance by an unidentified man. At around 6:30 pm
he followed her along several streets in the centre of Bogota. Diana
Herrera found his behavior to be extremely threatening and even
attempted to make him leave her alone by going into a restaurant. The
man continued to intimidate her by staying at the entrance of the
restaurant for a while before finally leaving.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The letter refers to Yolanda Ceron, a human rights defender and
Director of the Catholic Church Organization Pastoral Social who was
killed on 19 September in Tumaco, Narino Department, by unidentified
gunmen thought to be army-backed paramilitaries (see UA 240/01
issued 20 September 2001 and follow-ups). Immediately after her
death, Sembrar workers received a telephoned death threat apparently
making reference to her murder.
The letter also refers to the armed opposition group Ejercito de
Liberacion Nacional, (ELN) the National Liberation Army. Human
rights defenders are frequently labelled guerrilla collaborators by
security forces and their paramilitary allies. Such accusations are
frequently followed by serious human rights violations such as
abductions, murders or torture.
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive
as quickly as possible:
- expressing concern for the safety of Nelson Urrego, Blanca Valencia,
Ludivia Giraldo, Sandra Herrera and Diana Herrera and other Sembrar
members in Bogota;
- urging the authorities to do everything deemed appropriate by those
under threat to guarantee their safety;
- calling for a full and impartial investigation into the killing of Yolanda
Ceron and the recent death threat against Sembrar, urging that the
results be made public and those responsible brought to justice;
- urging the authorities to take immediate action to dismantle
paramilitary groups, in line with stated government commitments and
United Nations recommendations.
APPEALS TO:
President of the Republic:
Senor Presidente Andres Pastrana Arango
Presidente de la Republica
Palacio de Narino
Carrera 8 No.7-26
Santafe de Bogota, COLOMBIA
Telegram: President, Bogota, Colombia
Fax: 011 57 1 566 2071 / 286 7434 / 286 6842 / 284 2186
Salutation: Dear President / Excmo. Sr. Presidente
Minister of Defense:
Dr. Gustavo Bell
Ministro de Defensa Nacional
Ministerio de Defensa Nacional
Centro Administrativeo Nacional
Avenida Eldorado - Carrera 52, OFI 217
Santafe de Bogota, Colombia
Telegram: Ministro de Defensa, Bogota, Colombia
Telex: 396 42411 INPRE CO; 396 44561 CFAC CO
Faxes: 011 57 1 222 0059
Salutation: Dear Minister / Sr. Ministro
Minister of Interior:
Sr. Armando Estrada Villa
Ministro del Interior
Ministerio del Interior
Palacio Echeverry
Carrera 8a, No.8-09, piso 2o.
Santafe de Bogota, Colombia
Telegrams: Ministro Interior, Bogota, Colombia
Fax: 011 57 1 341 9583 / 334 3960/ 691 5455/251 5884
Salutation: Dear Sir / Sr. Ministro
COPIES TO:
Non-governmental human rights organization:
CSPP
AA 22803
Bogota,Colombia
Ambassador Luis Alberto Moreno
Embassy of Colombia
2118 Leroy Pl. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 232 8643
Please send appeals immediately. Check with the Colorado office
between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm, Mountain Time, weekdays only, if
sending appeals after January 21, 2002.
Ensuring letter-writing actions are not disrupted by new security
measures:
In the light of current security concerns, including concerns about
anthrax being sent through the post to media and government
addresses, authorities in the US and elsewhere will be implementing
security procedures to ensure
the safety of mail. Letters to government officials will be carefully
scrutinized and this may mean a significant delay before they reach
the recipients.
This may have an impact on how we can best ensure that appeals on
UA cases and other actions are
delivered as quickly as possible.
Below are some simple suggestions for activists involved in sending
appeals to minimize potential disruption and to ensure that our
concerns reach the authorities as quickly as possible. Where possible
consider using fax, e-mail etc or postcards, rather than sealed
envelopes, to send appeal letters to authorities.
If letters are sent:
- put a return address on the envelope (the letter should be
sent from the same area)
- provide a complete address and title and write clearly
- don't put lots of enclosures in envelopes
- don't seal envelopes with tape
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
Please do not repost this appeal to any part of the Internet
without prior permission from Amnesty International. Thank you for
your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
PO Box 1270
Nederland CO 80466-1270
Email: uan@aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 303 258 1170
Fax: 303 258 7881