WILL YOU HELP US STOP THE KILLINGS? - Justice for Colombia

Colombia is the most
dangerous country in
the world to be a trade
unionist – almost 3000
have been killed in
recent years
WILL YOU HELP US
STOP THE KILLINGS?
for peace and
social justice
in Colombia
www.justiceforcolombia.org

Daniel Ruiz Bedoya
Jaime Vanegas Castellanos
Maria Teresa Jesus Chicaiza Burbano
Francisco Leonel Bedoya Burgos
Arnoldo Enrique Campo Medina
Luis Fabian Moreno Marin
William Cabuyales Diaz
Alcira Munoz Tapia
Maria Teresa Silva Reyes
Juan Carlos Abuche
Jose Jaime Rojas
Dubian Barajas Carrillo
Miguel Angel Macias Guaca
Victor Julio Benavides
Luis Miguel Gomez Porto
Rafael Ramon Madrid Vega
Colombia the background
A war has been raging in Colombia for over 50 years between
the government and leftwing rebel groups. Every year
thousands of civilians are killed – the vast majority of them by
the Colombian military and the right-wing paramilitary death
squads that work alongside them. The dreadful situation has
also resulted in nearly 4 million people fleeing their homes.
Although many people think that the Colombian war is all
about drugs, in fact there were no drugs in Colombia when
the war began in the 1950s. The roots of the conflict are
extreme social and economic inequalities – over 65% of the
population live in poverty.
People who speak out against the Colombian regime and the
war become targets for the Colombian army, with the
government often using the paramilitaries to carry out the
most horrific and barbaric acts, including massacres, rapes,
torture, disappearances and targeted assassinations.
AMONG THE MOST PERSECUTED ARE TRADE UNIONISTS
● Over 2500 trade unionists have been killed in Colombia in
the last 15 years, whilst trying to defend the right to collective
bargaining and freedom of speech.
● Many others have been ‘disappeared’, tortured, falsely
imprisoned, threatened and forced from their homes and jobs.
● Virtually no one has been arrested and sentenced for crimes
committed against trade union members.
I joined a trade union because I believe in
fairness at work. I believe that people should be
paid decent wages and be able to work decent hours.
Yet when we in the trade union movement defend
these principles, defend our jobs, our homes, our
lives, they call us terrorists. In the end they may kill
me, but I know that there are many others willing to
take my place and continue our struggle
Jorge Ortega, leader of the Colombian
TUC hours before he was assassinated.
Trade Unionists Murdered 2007- 200
Ana Silvia Melo Rodriguez
Bernarda Zuniga Imbachi
Genaro Potes
Luis Alfonso Calderon Villamizar
Marleny Berrio de Rodriguez
Julio Cesar Gomez Cano
Arnovis Ocoro Balanta
Hector Robledo Gonzalez
Jesus Maria Villafane Millan
Andres Escobar Escobar
Augusto Ramirez Atehortua
Simon Corena
Feliciano Obando
Gentil Yascuaran Pai
Jairo Alberto Valencia Correa
Rosalino Palacio Mosquera
Luis Fernando Gomez Valencia
Alexis Arango
Leonidas Silva Castro
Jairo Giraldo Rey
Consuelo Mercedes Restrepo Campo
Jose Jesus Marin Vargas
Luis Alberto Torres Ochoa
Mario Zuluaga
Miguel Andres Lopez
Israel Alfonso Perez Montes
Ramiro de Jesus Perez Zapata
Israel Gonzalez
Jose Suarez Leal
Jose Martin Duarte
Maria del Carmen Mesa Pasochoa
Arley Benavidez Samboni
Maria Teresa Trujillo
Jose Giraldo Mamian
Carmen Cecilia Carvajal Ramirez
Gildardo Antonio Gomez
Leonidas Gomez Rozo
Miller Vaquero
Carlos Burbano
Victor Manual Munoz
Ignacio Andrade
Manuel Antonio Jimenez
Jose Fernando Quiroz
Jose Gregorio Astros
Julio Cesar Trochez
Adolfo Gonzalez Montes
Luz Mariela Diaz Lopez
Emerson Ivan Herrera

COLOMBIA ACCORDING TO….
Amnesty
International:
Colombia is the
most dangerous
country in the world
to be a trade unionist
… the vast majority of
human rights abuses
against trade unionists
were attributed to
the security forces
and paramilitary
allies.
On March 16th 2008 union activists Manuel Antonio Jimenez and Jose Fernando Quiroz
were assassinated by Colombian soldiers in Putumayo region. Troops from the same
unit, the 27th Brigade, also took away union member Ivan Vientimilla. He has not been
seen since and is officially registered as 'disappeared'. The soldiers responsible are
believed to be members of the 'Domingo Rico' Battalion of the 27th Brigade. Nobody
has been brought to justice for the murders
***
On March 22nd 2008, Adolfo Gonzalez Montes, a regional
leader of the Colombian union representing coal miners,
SINTRACARBON, was found dead after assassins broke
into his home in the city of Riohacha and tortured him to
death. SINTRACARBON blamed the Colombian
Government for the killing. Union colleagues had also
received threats and unknown people had been seen
watching their homes. “Coincidentally, the threats and
attacks against members of our organisation
intensify in the run up to negotiation periods. This
time the threats became reality.” Said a
SINTRACARBON communiqué.
Rafael Antonio Leal Medina
Omar Ariza
Luis Enrique Gutierrez
Jesus Heberto Caballero Ariza
Guillermo Rivera
Tomas Alberto Chiquillo Pascuales
Luis Orlando Gelves
Marcelo Vergara Sanchez
Omar Alexander Camacho Vasquez
Favier Dario Pelaez Castano
Walter Anibal Recalde Ordonez
Jose Humberto Munoz Guarin
Haly Martin Mendoza
Jesus Palomeque Valencia
Luis Mayusa Prada
Manuel Erminson Gamboa Melendez
The International
Confederation of Free
Trade Unions (ICFTU):
Colombian trade unionists,
whether leaders or
grassroots members,
are experiencing a fullfledged
humanitarian
crisis as victims of
selective, systematic and
persistent violence
directed against them
with total impunity.
9 ... HELP US STOP THE KILLINGS
Jose Omar Galeano Martinez
Pablo Florez Barrera
Jesus Escorcia Cortes
Eliseo Vera Gonzalez
Alvaro Antonio Guecha Morales
Estiven Bastidas Jeferson
Roberto Morales
William Rubio Ortiz
Adolfo Tique
Diego Ricardo Rasedo Guerra
Arled Samboni Guaca
Leovigildo Mejia
Luis Alberto Arango Crespo
Guillermo Antonio Ramirez Ramirez
Ramiro Cuadros Roballo
Alexander Pinto Gomez
Jose Alejandro Amado Castillo
Armando Carreno
Hernan Polo Barrera
Frank Mauricio Aguirre Aguirre
Edgar Martinez
Victor Franco Franco
Milton Blanco Leguizamon
Vilma Carcamo Blanco
Julio Ramos Rigoberto
Herberth Sony Cardenas
Pablo Rodriguez Garavito
Jorge Humberto Echeverri Garro
Rafael Antonio Sepulveda Lara
Herber Gonzalez Herra
Diego Cobo
Jairo Martinez Solarte
The UN High
Commission for
Human rights:
Trade Unionists were
the victims of arbitrary
detentions, arbitrary or
illegal searches, violations of
due process, and attacks on
freedom of assembly and
peaceful protest, attributed
to functionaries of the
Attorney General’s office
and the security forces.
Gustavo Gomez
Fredy Diaz Ortiz
Abel Carrasquilla
Oscar Eduardo Suarez Suescun
Zuly Rojas
Melendez Honorio Llorente
Rafael Antonio Cantero Ceballas
Ramiro Israel Montes Palencia
Paulo Suarez
Raul Medina Diaz
Apolinar Herrera
Zorayda Cortes Lopez
Fabio Sanchez
Leny Yanube Rengifo Gomez
Manuel Alfonso Cuello Valenzuela
Alberto Jaimes Pabon

Make a difference: join Justice For Colombia
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Colombia, 9 Arkwright Road, London, NW3 6AB.
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JUSTICE FOR COLOMBIA (JFC)
works in support of the Colombian
people and trade union movement in
their campaign for basic human
rights and their struggle for peace
and social justice.
Together with UK trade unions we
fund a variety of projects in Colombia
and run campaigns in the UK to stop
British military aid to Colombia and
to pressure the British government to
put more emphasis on human and
trade union rights in their dealings
with the Colombian government.
We work to raise awareness of the
situation in Colombia by bringing
Colombian trade unionists to the
UK, so that people can hear first
hand the horrors faced by their
Colombian colleagues.
We also arrange for delegations of
British trade unionists, MPs, lawyers,
journalists and students to go to
Colombia each year so that they can
see the reality for themselves.
please also make a donation to
support our work for political
prisoners
Donation £
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