WILL YOU HELP US STOP THE KILLINGS? - Justice for Colombia
WILL YOU HELP US STOP THE KILLINGS? - Justice for Colombia
WILL YOU HELP US STOP THE KILLINGS? - Justice for Colombia
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<strong>Colombia</strong> is the most<br />
dangerous country in<br />
the world to be a trade<br />
unionist – almost 3000<br />
have been killed in<br />
recent years<br />
<strong>WILL</strong> <strong>YOU</strong> <strong>HELP</strong> <strong>US</strong><br />
<strong>STOP</strong> <strong>THE</strong> <strong>KILLINGS</strong>?<br />
<strong>for</strong> peace and<br />
social justice<br />
in <strong>Colombia</strong><br />
www.justice<strong>for</strong>colombia.org
Daniel Ruiz Bedoya<br />
Jaime Vanegas Castellanos<br />
Maria Teresa Jesus Chicaiza Burbano<br />
Francisco Leonel Bedoya Burgos<br />
Arnoldo Enrique Campo Medina<br />
Luis Fabian Moreno Marin<br />
William Cabuyales Diaz<br />
Alcira Munoz Tapia<br />
Maria Teresa Silva Reyes<br />
Juan Carlos Abuche<br />
Jose Jaime Rojas<br />
Dubian Barajas Carrillo<br />
Miguel Angel Macias Guaca<br />
Victor Julio Benavides<br />
Luis Miguel Gomez Porto<br />
Rafael Ramon Madrid Vega<br />
<strong>Colombia</strong> the background<br />
A war has been raging in <strong>Colombia</strong> <strong>for</strong> over 50 years between<br />
the government and leftwing rebel groups. Every year<br />
thousands of civilians are killed – the vast majority of them by<br />
the <strong>Colombia</strong>n military and the right-wing paramilitary death<br />
squads that work alongside them. The dreadful situation has<br />
also resulted in nearly 4 million people fleeing their homes.<br />
Although many people think that the <strong>Colombia</strong>n war is all<br />
about drugs, in fact there were no drugs in <strong>Colombia</strong> when<br />
the war began in the 1950s. The roots of the conflict are<br />
extreme social and economic inequalities – over 65% of the<br />
population live in poverty.<br />
People who speak out against the <strong>Colombia</strong>n regime and the<br />
war become targets <strong>for</strong> the <strong>Colombia</strong>n army, with the<br />
government often using the paramilitaries to carry out the<br />
most horrific and barbaric acts, including massacres, rapes,<br />
torture, disappearances and targeted assassinations.<br />
AMONG <strong>THE</strong> MOST PERSECUTED ARE TRADE UNIONISTS<br />
● Over 2500 trade unionists have been killed in <strong>Colombia</strong> in<br />
the last 15 years, whilst trying to defend the right to collective<br />
bargaining and freedom of speech.<br />
● Many others have been ‘disappeared’, tortured, falsely<br />
imprisoned, threatened and <strong>for</strong>ced from their homes and jobs.<br />
● Virtually no one has been arrested and sentenced <strong>for</strong> crimes<br />
committed against trade union members.<br />
I joined a trade union because I believe in<br />
fairness at work. I believe that people should be<br />
paid decent wages and be able to work decent hours.<br />
Yet when we in the trade union movement defend<br />
these principles, defend our jobs, our homes, our<br />
lives, they call us terrorists. In the end they may kill<br />
me, but I know that there are many others willing to<br />
take my place and continue our struggle<br />
Jorge Ortega, leader of the <strong>Colombia</strong>n<br />
TUC hours be<strong>for</strong>e he was assassinated.<br />
Trade Unionists Murdered 2007- 200<br />
Ana Silvia Melo Rodriguez<br />
Bernarda Zuniga Imbachi<br />
Genaro Potes<br />
Luis Alfonso Calderon Villamizar<br />
Marleny Berrio de Rodriguez<br />
Julio Cesar Gomez Cano<br />
Arnovis Ocoro Balanta<br />
Hector Robledo Gonzalez<br />
Jesus Maria Villafane Millan<br />
Andres Escobar Escobar<br />
Augusto Ramirez Atehortua<br />
Simon Corena<br />
Feliciano Obando<br />
Gentil Yascuaran Pai<br />
Jairo Alberto Valencia Correa<br />
Rosalino Palacio Mosquera<br />
Luis Fernando Gomez Valencia<br />
Alexis Arango<br />
Leonidas Silva Castro<br />
Jairo Giraldo Rey<br />
Consuelo Mercedes Restrepo Campo<br />
Jose Jesus Marin Vargas<br />
Luis Alberto Torres Ochoa<br />
Mario Zuluaga<br />
Miguel Andres Lopez<br />
Israel Alfonso Perez Montes<br />
Ramiro de Jesus Perez Zapata<br />
Israel Gonzalez<br />
Jose Suarez Leal<br />
Jose Martin Duarte<br />
Maria del Carmen Mesa Pasochoa<br />
Arley Benavidez Samboni<br />
Maria Teresa Trujillo<br />
Jose Giraldo Mamian<br />
Carmen Cecilia Carvajal Ramirez<br />
Gildardo Antonio Gomez<br />
Leonidas Gomez Rozo<br />
Miller Vaquero<br />
Carlos Burbano<br />
Victor Manual Munoz<br />
Ignacio Andrade<br />
Manuel Antonio Jimenez<br />
Jose Fernando Quiroz<br />
Jose Gregorio Astros<br />
Julio Cesar Trochez<br />
Adolfo Gonzalez Montes<br />
Luz Mariela Diaz Lopez<br />
Emerson Ivan Herrera
COLOMBIA ACCORDING TO….<br />
Amnesty<br />
International:<br />
<strong>Colombia</strong> is the<br />
most dangerous<br />
country in the world<br />
to be a trade unionist<br />
… the vast majority of<br />
human rights abuses<br />
against trade unionists<br />
were attributed to<br />
the security <strong>for</strong>ces<br />
and paramilitary<br />
allies.<br />
On March 16th 2008 union activists Manuel Antonio Jimenez and Jose Fernando Quiroz<br />
were assassinated by <strong>Colombia</strong>n soldiers in Putumayo region. Troops from the same<br />
unit, the 27th Brigade, also took away union member Ivan Vientimilla. He has not been<br />
seen since and is officially registered as 'disappeared'. The soldiers responsible are<br />
believed to be members of the 'Domingo Rico' Battalion of the 27th Brigade. Nobody<br />
has been brought to justice <strong>for</strong> the murders<br />
***<br />
On March 22nd 2008, Adolfo Gonzalez Montes, a regional<br />
leader of the <strong>Colombia</strong>n union representing coal miners,<br />
SINTRACARBON, was found dead after assassins broke<br />
into his home in the city of Riohacha and tortured him to<br />
death. SINTRACARBON blamed the <strong>Colombia</strong>n<br />
Government <strong>for</strong> the killing. Union colleagues had also<br />
received threats and unknown people had been seen<br />
watching their homes. “Coincidentally, the threats and<br />
attacks against members of our organisation<br />
intensify in the run up to negotiation periods. This<br />
time the threats became reality.” Said a<br />
SINTRACARBON communiqué.<br />
Rafael Antonio Leal Medina<br />
Omar Ariza<br />
Luis Enrique Gutierrez<br />
Jesus Heberto Caballero Ariza<br />
Guillermo Rivera<br />
Tomas Alberto Chiquillo Pascuales<br />
Luis Orlando Gelves<br />
Marcelo Vergara Sanchez<br />
Omar Alexander Camacho Vasquez<br />
Favier Dario Pelaez Castano<br />
Walter Anibal Recalde Ordonez<br />
Jose Humberto Munoz Guarin<br />
Haly Martin Mendoza<br />
Jesus Palomeque Valencia<br />
Luis Mayusa Prada<br />
Manuel Erminson Gamboa Melendez<br />
The International<br />
Confederation of Free<br />
Trade Unions (ICFTU):<br />
<strong>Colombia</strong>n trade unionists,<br />
whether leaders or<br />
grassroots members,<br />
are experiencing a fullfledged<br />
humanitarian<br />
crisis as victims of<br />
selective, systematic and<br />
persistent violence<br />
directed against them<br />
with total impunity.<br />
9 ... <strong>HELP</strong> <strong>US</strong> <strong>STOP</strong> <strong>THE</strong> <strong>KILLINGS</strong><br />
Jose Omar Galeano Martinez<br />
Pablo Florez Barrera<br />
Jesus Escorcia Cortes<br />
Eliseo Vera Gonzalez<br />
Alvaro Antonio Guecha Morales<br />
Estiven Bastidas Jeferson<br />
Roberto Morales<br />
William Rubio Ortiz<br />
Adolfo Tique<br />
Diego Ricardo Rasedo Guerra<br />
Arled Samboni Guaca<br />
Leovigildo Mejia<br />
Luis Alberto Arango Crespo<br />
Guillermo Antonio Ramirez Ramirez<br />
Ramiro Cuadros Roballo<br />
Alexander Pinto Gomez<br />
Jose Alejandro Amado Castillo<br />
Armando Carreno<br />
Hernan Polo Barrera<br />
Frank Mauricio Aguirre Aguirre<br />
Edgar Martinez<br />
Victor Franco Franco<br />
Milton Blanco Leguizamon<br />
Vilma Carcamo Blanco<br />
Julio Ramos Rigoberto<br />
Herberth Sony Cardenas<br />
Pablo Rodriguez Garavito<br />
Jorge Humberto Echeverri Garro<br />
Rafael Antonio Sepulveda Lara<br />
Herber Gonzalez Herra<br />
Diego Cobo<br />
Jairo Martinez Solarte<br />
The UN High<br />
Commission <strong>for</strong><br />
Human rights:<br />
Trade Unionists were<br />
the victims of arbitrary<br />
detentions, arbitrary or<br />
illegal searches, violations of<br />
due process, and attacks on<br />
freedom of assembly and<br />
peaceful protest, attributed<br />
to functionaries of the<br />
Attorney General’s office<br />
and the security <strong>for</strong>ces.<br />
Gustavo Gomez<br />
Fredy Diaz Ortiz<br />
Abel Carrasquilla<br />
Oscar Eduardo Suarez Suescun<br />
Zuly Rojas<br />
Melendez Honorio Llorente<br />
Rafael Antonio Cantero Ceballas<br />
Ramiro Israel Montes Palencia<br />
Paulo Suarez<br />
Raul Medina Diaz<br />
Apolinar Herrera<br />
Zorayda Cortes Lopez<br />
Fabio Sanchez<br />
Leny Yanube Rengifo Gomez<br />
Manuel Alfonso Cuello Valenzuela<br />
Alberto Jaimes Pabon
Make a difference: join <strong>Justice</strong> For <strong>Colombia</strong><br />
Fill in the below <strong>for</strong>m and post it, along with your membership fee, to: <strong>Justice</strong> <strong>for</strong><br />
<strong>Colombia</strong>, 9 Arkwright Road, London, NW3 6AB.<br />
Organisation/Name<br />
Address<br />
E-mail<br />
Annual Affiliation Rates:<br />
£50 Trade Union Branch<br />
£12 Individual membership (waged)<br />
£6 Individual (unwaged)<br />
Postcode<br />
Please make cheques payable to <strong>Justice</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Colombia</strong><br />
J<strong>US</strong>TICE FOR COLOMBIA (JFC)<br />
works in support of the <strong>Colombia</strong>n<br />
people and trade union movement in<br />
their campaign <strong>for</strong> basic human<br />
rights and their struggle <strong>for</strong> peace<br />
and social justice.<br />
Together with UK trade unions we<br />
fund a variety of projects in <strong>Colombia</strong><br />
and run campaigns in the UK to stop<br />
British military aid to <strong>Colombia</strong> and<br />
to pressure the British government to<br />
put more emphasis on human and<br />
trade union rights in their dealings<br />
with the <strong>Colombia</strong>n government.<br />
We work to raise awareness of the<br />
situation in <strong>Colombia</strong> by bringing<br />
<strong>Colombia</strong>n trade unionists to the<br />
UK, so that people can hear first<br />
hand the horrors faced by their<br />
<strong>Colombia</strong>n colleagues.<br />
We also arrange <strong>for</strong> delegations of<br />
British trade unionists, MPs, lawyers,<br />
journalists and students to go to<br />
<strong>Colombia</strong> each year so that they can<br />
see the reality <strong>for</strong> themselves.<br />
please also make a donation to<br />
support our work <strong>for</strong> political<br />
prisoners<br />
Donation £<br />
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