HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST COLOMBIAN TRADE UNIONISTS

[Bill Howard]

COLOMBIAN LABOR MONITOR
Web: http://www.prairienet.org/clm
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Friday, 26 January 2001 -

-----
________________________________________________________________________

HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST COLOMBIAN TRADE UNIONISTS
________________________________________________________________________


By Liam Craig-Best, [EMAIL PROTECTED]

As with last year, when 121 unionists were murdered in Colombia and many
others 'disappeared', the attacks against trade unionists continue. The
Colombian Government refuses to intervene and turns a blind eye to the fact
that the Colombian military is heavily involved, sometimes directly and
sometimes indirectly, in these crimes.

The international media and foreign governments rarely comment on the grave
situation faced by Colombian trade union members and as long as this
remains the case the killings will continue. With the recent US Government
decision to ignore the human rights performance of the Colombian armed
forces the Colombian military has no incentive whatsoever to cease their
attacks.

Note: All the abuses listed below were perpetrated by paramilitaries backed
by the Colombian army. As usual nobody has been arrested for any of these
crimes.

On January 17th 2001 CUT activist and vice-president of the Magdalena
lottery workers union (Sindicato de Loteros del Magdalena), Tello Barragan
Aldona, was assassinated in the city of Santa Marta, Magdalena department.

On January 17th 2001 trade unionist Miguel Antonio Medina Bohorquez was
assassinated in the Altagracia area near the city of Pereira, Risaralda
department. Miguel was an active member of the education workers union
(SINTRENAL).

On January 15th 2001 an attempt was made to kill Gustavo Alejandro Castro
Londono in the city of Villavicencio, Meta department. He was seriously
injured in the attack and is still in hospital recovering. Gustavo is a
member of his local health workers union and also an elected member of the
executive committee of the Meta regional branch of the CUT where he held
the post of secretary for state workers affairs.

On January 14th 2001 in the neighbourhood of Porvenir in the city if Cali,
German Medina Gaviria, an active member of the municipal workers of Cali
trade union (SINTRAEMCALI), was forcibly disappeared. German, who left his
house at 6am to go to work was taken away by an armed group of
paramilitaries and has not been seen since.

On January 12th 2001 an attempt was made to kill Ricardo Navarro Bruges in
the city of Santa Marta, Magdalena department. Ricardo who is the president
of the Santa Marta university workers union (SINTRAUNICOL SECCIONAL SANTA
MARTA) worked at the Magdalena University of Technology but has now had to
flee the area to protect his life.

On January 11th 2001 a bomb exploded in the town of Yumbo, Valle de Cauca
department, in front of the house of Ezequiel Antonio Palma Jimenez
seriously damaging his house and destroying his brothers car. Ezequiel is a
senior leader of the municipal workers of Yumbo trade union (Sindicato de
Trabajadores del Municipio de Yumbo).

To denounce any of these attacks please send a fax to the offices of the
Central Unitaria de Trabajadores de Colombia (CUT) marked for the attention
of Jesus Gonzalez, Director del Departamento de Derechos Humanos de la CUT.
Jesus will then forward the fax to the relevant people in Colombia. His fax
number is: (international code from your country) (1) 288 8577.