U.S. Aid Funding Colombian Oppression?

Posted: April 27, 2010 11:14 AM
U.S. Aid Funding Colombian Oppression?
By Andrew Hudson, Manager, Human Rights Defenders Program

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Exposing links between local politicians and paramilitary death-squads normally doesn't sound like grounds for arrest, but in Colombia it can be.

Colombian activist Carmelo Agamez has been in prison for over a year on bogus charges. Both the Colombian Attorney General and a court have found that his rights were violated--but the prosecution just won't stop. The LA Times even wrote a feature article describing his unjust detention. Agamez and other activists are being targeted with trumped-up charges designed to stigmatize and silence human rights defenders.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government gave approximately $40 million in human rights and rule of law aid to Colombia last year which came with conditions that the Colombian government respect the rights of human rights defenders. Congress set those conditions last December after years of advocacy by Human Rights First and other groups.

Just last week I was in D.C. with Agamez's daughter, Sandra Agamez. We urged U.S. officials to encourage the Colombian government to stop this unjust practice. Human Rights First is also running a petition to the State Department urging it to enforce U.S. conditions on aid--and protect human rights activists unjustly detained.

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/human-rights-first/us-aid-funding-colombian_b_553455.html