URGENT ACTION APPEAL
Go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html to read this month's
newsletter.
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Note: Please write on behalf of these people
even though you may not have
received the original UA when issued on
September 5, 2001. Thanks!
17 February 2003
Further Information on UA 221/01 issued 5
September 2001 and re-issued 2 November
2001, 25 February 2002 and 10 September
2002) - Fear for safety
COLOMBIA
Miguel Cifuentes (m), leader of the Asociación Campesina
del Valle del Río Cimitarra (ACVC), Peasant Association of
the Cimitarra River Valley, Magdalena Medio region,
department of Santander
Pablo Javier Arenales (m)
José Guillermo Larios (m)
-human rights defedners
Diana Marcela Gallego (f) and her family
Diana Garcia (f)
Other members of the non-governmental
human rights organization REINICIAR
Francisco Campo (m), human rights activist
Other members of the non-governmental
organization Corporación Regional para la Defensa de
Derechos Humanos (CREDHOS), Regional Human
Rights Corporation in Barrancabermeja, department of
Santander
New name:
Andrés Gil (m), member of the ACVC
Miguel Cifuentes and Andrés Gil, members of
the Asociación Campesina del Valle del Río
Cimitarra (ACVC), Peasant Association of the
Cimitarra River Valley, are among many human
rights activists in Santander department who
have reportedly received death threats from
army-backed paramilitaries in recent weeks.
While there is no new information about the
other individuals named above, Amnesty
International has renewed concerns for the
safety of all human rights defenders in the area.
During a meeting of army-backed paramilitaries
in the town of Yondó, Antioquia department,
one of the paramilitary leaders reportedly said:
"We are not going to tolerate more guerrilla
members of the Peasant Association that use the
excuse of human rights work to promote the
guerrilla, especially Andrés Gil, who is a
guerrilla and Miguel Cifuentes who is an
agronomist supporter of the guerrilla". ("No
vamos a tolerar más a los guerrilleros de la tal
Asociación de Campesinos, que con la excusa
del trabajo de Derechos Humanos le hacen
proselitismo a la Guerrilla, principalmente a ese
tal Andrés Gil que es un ideólogo de ellos y
Miguel Cifuentes que es un agrónomo vendido a
la Guerrilla").
At a separate meeting of army-backed
paramilitaries in the city of Barrancabermeja,
Santander department, another paramilitary
allegedly said: "Barrancabermeja is not free
from guerrilla members yet; they are still
infiltrated in trade unions and non-governmental
organizations [NGOs]. To guarantee that the
guerrilla does not retake Barrancabermeja they
should be annihilated" ("Barrancabermeja aun
no está libre de guerrilleros, todavía quedan
infiltrados en los sindicatos, ONGs y para
garantizar qye la Guerrilla no se retome
Barrancabermeja hay que aniquilarlos").
These reports of threats follow orders allegedly
given by the Bloque Central Bolívar, Central
Bolívar Bloc of the army-backed paramilitary
group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia
(AUC), United Self-Defence Forces of
Colombia to paramilitary commanders in Yondó
and Barrancabermeja to kill non-governmental
organization workers and people who have been
involved in grass-roots social organizations.
FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as
possible:
- expressing concern for the safety of members
of the Peasant Association of the Cimitarra
River Valley, workers and human rights
activists, trade unionists and popular activists in
the department of Santander following reports of
paramilitary threats against them;
- urging that all measures, deemed appropriate
by those under threat themselves, are taken to
guarantee their safety;
- urging that full and impartial investigations
into these threats are undertaken, that the results
are made public and that those responsible are
brought to justice;
- calling for full and impartial investigations into
links between the security forces and
paramilitary forces in Barrancabermeja and
surrounding areas, that the results are made
public and that those members of the security
forces responsible for operating in unison with
paramilitary forces or supporting them are
brought to justice;
- expressing concern at the continued large-scale
presence of AUC forces in Barrancabermeja
despite the heavy military presence in the city
and urging immediate decisive action to
confront and dismantle these groups in line with
repeated UN recommendations and
governmental commitments
APPEALS TO:
President of the Republic:
Señor Presidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez
Presidente de la República
Palacio de Nariño
Carrera 8 No.7-26
Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia
Telegram: Presidente de la República,
Bogotá, Colombia
Fax: 011 57 1 342 0592
Salutation: Excmo. Sr. Presidente
Uribe/Dear President Uribe
Minister of the Interior and Justice:
Sr. Fernando Londoño Hoyos
Ministro del Interior y de Justicia
Ministerio del Interior
Palacio Echeverry, Carrera 8a, No.8-09, piso 2o.
Santafé de Bogotá
Colombia
Telegram: Ministro Interior, Bogota,
Colombia
Fax: 011 57 1 566 4573
Salutation: Sr. Ministro/Dear Minister
Governor of Santander Department:
Sr. Jorge Eliecer Gómez Villamizar
Gobernador del Departamento de Santander
Gobernación de Santander
Calle 37, No. 10-30
Bucaramanga, Santander
Colombia
Telegram: Gobernador Santander,
Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia
Fax: 011 57 76 842843
Salutation: Dear Governor Gómez
Villamizar / Sr. Gobernador Gómez
Villamizar
COPIES TO:
'José Alvear Restrepo' Lawyers' Collective:
Corporación Colectivo de Abogados 'José
Alvear Restrepo',
AA 33035
Bogotá, 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 March 31, 2003.
Amnesty International is a
worldwide grassroots movement that
promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted
if kept intact, including contact
information and stop action date
(if applicable). 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
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL