Call to protect a human rights activist

DEATH THREAT AGAINST MARTHA GIRALDO

Martha Giraldo, a Colombian human rights activist and a featured speaker at the 2009
November vigil to close the SOA was subjected to a chilling death threat earlier
this week in Cali, Colombia. Two SUVs with tinted windows -- the vehicle of choice
of Colombian assassins -- tried to run her car off of the road. As they pulled up
beside her, they pulled out guns and pointed them at her. They never fired a shot,
but the message was clear: we can kill you, and if you don't keep quiet, we will.

Martha Giraldo and her family continue to tell the truth about how the Colombian
army killed her father, a campesino, and dressed him up in guerrilla clothing to
make the murder look like a "combat kill." Colombian human rights organizations
report that extrajudicial executions of civilians by the Colombian Armed Forces is
on the rise. Please take two minutes out of your day today to call one of the
Colombia specialists at the State Department, Terry Steers-Gonzalez (202-647-4173)
or Susan Sanford (202-647-3142). For the message Martha would like you to
communicate, visit http://www.SOAW.org/marthagiraldo

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VIDEO: U.S. MILITARY IN COLOMBIA

In the fall 2009, U.S. and Colombian officials signed an agreement granting the U.S.
military access to seven Colombian bases for ten years.

Watch the Faultlines documentary about the agreement online:
http://www.soaw.org/presente/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=271&Itemid=81

Read the article Seven Bases by Diane Lefer and Hector Aristizábal, in which they
take a look at the history of each of these bases as well as conditions in the
surrounding communities and Colombia as a whole:
http://www.soaw.org/presente/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=270&Itemid=74

SOA Watch is extremely concerned about the drastic increase of U.S. militarization
in Latin America. The bases agreement operates from the same failed military mindset
that has given rise to the School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC). The purpose of the
bases and the purpose of the SOA/ WHINSEC are the same: to ensure U.S. control over
the region through military means.

Already, the SOA/ WHINSEC is deploying "Mobile Training Teams" to Colombia and other
Latin American countries, that train hundreds of soldiers annually. Over 10,000
soldiers of the Colombian military (the military with the worst human rights record
in the Americas) have received SOA/ WHINSEC training and used the lessons learned in
their brutal war that has left thousands dead and millions displaced.

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TAKE ACTION

Send a message to President Barack Obama. Demand a change in U.S. foreign policy,
away from militarization and towards a culture of justice and peace. Demand an end
to U.S. military bases in Latin America, a stop to all U.S. military aid to Colombia
and an executive order to shut down the School of the Americas, now known as the
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA/ WHINSEC).

To send a message to the President, click here
http://www.SOAW.org/barackobama

Even more importantly; help to build a grassroots movement that has the power to
ensure that our demands are being met. Join us for SOA Watch's April events in
Washington, DC, the United States Social Forum and the SOA Watch Encuentro in June
2010 in Latin America.

In peace and solidarity,
SOA Watch