March 26, 2008
2:35 PM
CONTACT: Amnesty International
Suzanne Trimel, 212-633-4150 or
Ben Somberg, 212-633-4268
NGOs Press President Uribe of Colombia to Address Wave of Violence Against Rights Defenders, Unionists
Uribe Advisor's Statements Contribute to Climate of Intolerance that Fosters Violence
WASHINGTON, DC - March 26 - Recent statements by a close advisor to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe contributed to "a climate of political intolerance that fosters violence" shortly before a wave of killings, attacks, and threats against trade unionists and rights activists, a group of 22 international human rights organizations said in a joint letter to Uribe.
Four Colombian trade unionists -- some of whom were reportedly associated with a March 6 demonstration protesting state and paramilitary human rights violations -- were killed between March 4 and March 11. Members of human rights organizations have been subject to physical attacks, harassment, office break-ins and thefts of files in the past weeks. More than two dozen organizations and individuals received death threats purporting to come from paramilitary groups in the capital, Bogota.
Shortly before the attacks, presidential adviser José Obdulio Gaviria made a series of statements on national radio linking renowned victims' representative Ivan Cepeda and other organizers of the March 6 protest to the notoriously abusive guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). On February 11, one day after Gaviria first made the statements, the supposedly demobilized United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitary group released a statement echoing Gaviria's allegations.
"Baseless comments such as these are profoundly damaging to Colombian democracy and human rights, and place those against whom they are made in direct danger of violence," said the NGO coalition in a letter to President Uribe. "These statements stigmatize the legitimate work of thousands of human rights defenders, trade unionists, and victims, and can have a chilling effect on the exercise of rights to freedom of expression and free association."
The coalition of NGOs called on President Uribe to:
- Publicly disavow statements by Gaviria and others that linked the protest organizers to guerillas;
- Reject the recent wave of attacks and reaffirm his government's support for the protection of the legitimate work of trade unionists and other human rights defenders;
- Ensure a prompt and impartial investigation into each of the recent attacks, hold those responsible to account, and take decisive action to dismantle paramilitary groups and break their links to state officials.
The letter, a copy of which was also sent to the U.S. government, pointed out that "this string of threats and attacks calls directly into question the effectiveness of the paramilitary demobilization process."
The violence comes as the Bush administration is aggressively pressing the U.S. Congress to ratify a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia. "In the debate over the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, President Uribe has repeatedly claimed that he is protecting workers' rights," said the NGOs. "But the fact that President Uribe has allowed his presidential adviser to continue his harassment, even while trade unionists and rights defenders are being killed and threatened, suggests a real disconnect between Uribe's discourse and his actions."
The letter was signed by: AFRODES USA, Amnesty International USA, Center for International Policy, Center for Justice and International Law, Church of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, Colombia Human Rights Committee, Conference of Major Superiors of Men, Friends Committee on National Legislation, General Board of Church and Society, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, Jesuit Conference, Latin America Working Group, Lutheran World Relief, Mennonite Central Committee, Mercy Corps, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, Refugees International, United Methodist Church, US Office on Colombia, Washington Office on Latin America, Witness for Peace.
The letter follows below.
# # #
March 25, 2008
S.E. Álvaro Uribe Vélez Presidente de la República Cra. 8 #7-26 Palacio de Nariño Bogotá Colombia
Dear President Uribe:
We write to express our deep concern about the recent wave of threats, attacks and killings of human rights defenders and trade unionists in connection with the March 6 demonstrations against state and paramilitary human rights violations. We urge you to publicly and immediately adopt effective measures to stop this violence.
Over the course of one week, between March 4 and March 11, four trade unionists, some of whom were reportedly associated with the March 6 demonstration, were killed (see footnote). Members of human rights organizations have also been subject to a large number of physical attacks and harassment. Their offices have also been broken into and equipment and files have been stolen.
In recent weeks a large number of human rights organizations, including la Asociación MINGA, the Colombian Commission of Jurists, Reiniciar, CODHES, the Movement of Victims of State Crimes (MOVICE), and Ruta Pacífica de Mujeres have received threats purportedly coming from the Black Eagles. One threat sent by email on March 11 specifically named twenty-eight human rights defenders. The threat, which was signed by the paramilitary group “Metropolitan Front of the Black Eagles in Bogotá,” accused the individuals of being guerrillas, referred explicitly to the March 6 demonstrations and stated that they would be killed promptly. The next day, another paramilitary email threat to various other groups announced a “total rearmament of paramilitary forces.” In addition to national human rights groups, the threats have targeted the international organization Peace Brigades International Colombia Project (PBI), the news magazine Semana, the Workers Central Union (CUT), indigenous organizations, and opposition politicians. A large number of additional recent instances of harassment, attacks and threats are currently being documented by national human rights groups.
This string of threats and attacks calls directly into question the effectiveness of the paramilitary demobilization process. Indeed, the Organization of American States has reported that twenty-two armed groups linked to the paramilitaries remain active around the country and has expressed “serious doubts about the effectiveness of demobilization and disarmament.”
We are especially concerned by the fact that the threats and attacks came shortly after a series of public accusations made by your presidential advisor, José Obdulio Gaviria, against the organizers of the March 6 protest. On February 10 and 11, on national radio, Mr. Gaviria suggested that the march’s organizers, including specifically Iván Cepeda (spokesman of MOVICE), were affiliated with the abusive guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Your government issued statements on February 15 and March 14 promising to guarantee the rights of those participating in the March 6 protest. However neither statement deterred Mr. Gaviria from continuing his stream of accusations on February 17 and March 20. His latest statement, suggesting that Mr. Cepeda is essentially a member of the FARC, is particularly outrageous coming after the recent wave of attacks and threats.
Baseless comments such as these are profoundly damaging to Colombian democracy and human rights, and place those against whom they are made in direct danger of violence. These statements stigmatize the legitimate work of thousands of human rights defenders, trade unionists, and victims, and can have a chilling effect on the exercise of rights to freedom of expression and free association. And in a country like Colombia, with its record of political violence, statements like these only contribute to a climate of political intolerance that fosters violence. Indeed, on February 11, the day after Mr. Gaviria first made the comments, the supposedly demobilized AUC paramilitary group released a statement on its website echoing Mr. Gaviria’s attacks on Mr. Cepeda and the victims’ movement.
It is precisely because prior administrations recognized the importance of respecting the work of human rights defenders and others, that Presidential Directive 7 of 1999 and Presidential Directive 7 of 2001 are now in place. Both directives order public servants “to abstain from questioning the legitimacy of… NGOs and their members… and to abstain from making false imputations or accusations that compromise the
security, honor and good name…” Directive 7 of 1999 further clarifies that public servants must not “make affirmations that disqualify, harass or incite harassment of said organizations… emit … declarations that stigmatize the work of these organizations.”
We urge you to combat this wave of violence by: 1. Disavowing, in public and before national media, the statements made by Mr. Gaviria and others linking the March 6 protest organizers to guerillas; rejecting the recent wave of threats and attacks; reaffirming your government’s support for, and protection of, the legitimate work of human rights defenders and trade unionists; and ensuring that no further inflammatory remarks are made by members of your government;
2. Ensuring a prompt, impartial and comprehensive investigation into each of the recent killings, attacks and death threats. It is vital that those responsible for these attacks are held responsible. Any supposedly demobilized persons who participated in or ordered these crimes should be stripped of their paramilitary demobilization benefits, and you should take decisive action to dismantle paramilitary groups and break their links to state officials in accordance with United Nations recommendations;
3. Providing protective measures to those individuals named in the March 11 death threats, as well as to other persons who have been subject to attacks or threats, and personally holding meetings with victims, trade unionists, and human rights defenders who have been affected by the recent attacks to listen to their concerns.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Andrew Hudson
Human Rights Defenders Program
Human Rights First
José Miguel Vivanco
Americas Director
Human Rights Watch
Renata Rendón Advocacy Director for the Americas
Amnesty International USA
Kenneth H. Bacon
President
Refugees International
John Arthur Nunes
President and CEO
Lutheran World Relief
Joy Olson
Executive Director
Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli
Senior Associate for Colombia and Haiti
Washington Office on Latin America
James R. Stormes, S.J.
Secretary, Social and International Ministries
Jesuit Conference
Lisa Haugaard
Executive Director
Latin America Working Group
Adam Isacson
Director of Programs
Center for International Policy
Robert Guitteau Jr.
Interim Director
US Office on Colombia
Heather Hanson
Director of Public Affairs
Mercy Corps
Mark Harrison
Director, Peace with Justice
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
Monika Kalra Varma
Director
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights
Viviana Krsticevic
Executive Director
Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)
Joe Volk
Executive Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Melinda St. Louis
Executive Director
Witness for Peace
Bert Lobe
Executive Director
Mennonite Central Committee
Rick Ufford-Chase
Executive Director
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Charo Mina-Rojas
AFRODES USA
T. Michael McNulty, SJ
Justice and Peace Director
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Cristina Espinel
Director
Colombia Human Rights Committee, Washington DC
Phil Jones
Director
Church of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office
cc.
Vice President Francisco Santos
Vice President of the Republic of Colombia
Cra. 8 No. 7-57
Bogota
Colombia
Mr. Carlos Franco
Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos
Calle 7 No 6 – 54
Bogota D.C
Colombia
Mr. Thomas A. Shannon
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Mr. David J. Kramer
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Rights, and Labor
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Ambassador William R. Brownfield
U.S. Ambassador to Colombia
U.S. Embassy in Colombia
Calle 24 Bis No. 48-50
Bogotá, D.C.
Colombia
Ambassador Carolina Barco
Ambassador of Colombia to the United States
Embassy of Colombia in the United States
2118 Leroy Place, NW
Washington, DC 20008