From: Colombian Labor Monitor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 21:15:20 -0500 (CDT) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: AI: Second update to Urgent Action #52/01 on Colombia ________________________________________________________________ AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION APPEAL UPDATE ________________________________________________________________ Go to http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/newslett.html to read this month's newsletter. ---------------------------------- 21 August 2001 Further information on UA 52/01 issued 9 March 2001 and re-issued 31 July 2001 - Fear for Safety COLOMBIA Inhabitants of the Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado New names: Peace Community of Natividad de Maria and other forcibly displaced communities which have returned to their lands in the department of Choco Paramilitary gunmen, backed by the army, are continuing to threaten forcibly displaced communities who have returned to their lands in the departments of Choco and Antioquia unless they once again abandon the region. Some of the returning displaced communities have declared themselves to be 'Peace Communities' as a means to call on the two sides in the conflict to respect their right to life as civilians and to respect their right not to be drawn into the conflict. Most recently the Comunidad de Paz de Natividad de Maria, Peace Community of Natividad de Maria has come under attack. On 2 August, a group of between 100 and 200 paramilitaries reportedly entered the hamlet of Bocas de Curbarado (Mouth of the River Curbarado), department of Choco, which is part of the Peace Community of Natividad de Maria. The gunmen rounded up the inhabitants and accused them of being guerilla sympathisers, and threatened to kill them. According to information received, the day before the paramilitaries arrived, peasant farmer Orfides Flores had gone out to gather food for his family, and had not returned. Police removed a mutilated body, believed to be his, from the Atrato River on 3 August. On 14 July, members of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who work with the Peace Communities travelling with international delegates by boat from the community of Cano Claro, which is on a tributary of the Curbarado river were forced to stop by paramilitary gunmen of the Autodefensas de Colombia (AUC), United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia. The paramilitaries reportedly ordered 53 members of the community who were travelling with the delegation aside and threatened them ordering them to abandon their lands. These events have raised concerns for the safety of all the Peace Communities in the department of Choco and the returned communities of the Cacarica River Basin. There is reported to be a continued strong paramilitary presence to the south of the Cacarica River Basin and in late June paramilitaries reportedly threatened civilian communities of the Salaqui River Basin that they intended to take this land from them. It is of concern that despite national and international denunciations the armed forces have taken no decisive action to confront the paramilitaries despite the fact that the Atrato River is heavily- miltarized. Concerns for the Peace Communities have been heightened by a further paramilitary incursion against the Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado. On 30 July, the community of La Union fled to San Jose de Apartado after paramilitaries threatened to kill the villagers who refused to collaborate with them, if they did not leave the area. A boy who tried to escape after being dragged from his home was killed. The 63 families of La Union are planning to return to their lands on 23 August. Amnesty International believes they will face further attacks once they have returned and fears for their safety. The returned displaced communities of Choco and the community of San Jose de Apartado have frequently been labelled guerrilla collaborators by the security forces and their paramilitary proxies since they live in areas where the left-wing armed opposition group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionaroas de Colombia (FARC), Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, maintain a strong presence. Forces of the armed opposition group Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN), National Liberation Army, also maintain a strong presence in the Choco. These accusations have frequently been followed by serious human rights violations committed by the security forces and their paramilitary auxiliaries. Guerrilla forces for their part have frequently accused members of the returned displaced communities of collaborating with the security forces and their paramilitary allies and have refused to respect the communities' demand that they should not be drawn into the conflict. Guerrilla forces have been responsible for death threats and the arbitrary and deliberate killing of members of the Peace Communities they accuse of collaborating with the security forces and their paramilitary allies. FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express/ airmail letters: - calling for a full and impartial investigation into the paramilitary incursion into Bocas de Curbarado on 2 August, when the gunmen threatened to kill members of the Peace Community of Natividad de Maria; - expressing serious concern for the safety of the inhabitants of the Natividad de Maria and other Peace Communities in Choco, especially those in the hamlet of Bocas de Curbarado and families returning to La Union, urging the authorities to take all measures deemed appropriate by the communities themselves to guarantee their safety; - calling for a full and impartial investigation into links between the XVII Brigade and paramilitary groups in the department of Choco, for the results to be made public and for those responsible for supporting and participating in such groups to be brought to justice; - urging the authorities to take immediate and decisive action to dismantle paramilitary groups, in line with repeated government commitments and UN recommendations. APPEALS TO: President of Colombia: Senor Presidente Andres Pastrana Presidente de la Republica Palacio de Narino, Carrera 8 No. 7-26 Santafe de Bogota, Colombia Telegrams: President Pastrana, Bogota, Colombia Telex: 396 44281 PALP CO Fax: 011 57 1 286 7434/284 2186/337 1351 Salutation: Excelentisimo Sr. Presidente/Dear President Pastrana Minister of Defense: Dr. Gustavo Bell Ministro de Defensa Nacional Ministerio de Defensa Nacional Avenida Eldorado CAN - Carrera 52 Santafe de Bogota, Colombia Telegram: Ministro de Defensa, Bogota, Colombia Telex: 396 42411 INPRE CO; 396 44561 CFAC CO Fax: 011 57 1 286 4126 / 281 1213 / 222 1874 Salutation: Dear Minister / Sr. Ministro Gobernador del Departamento de Choco Sr. William Halaby Cordoba Gobernacion del Choco Quibdo, Choco, COLOMBIA Fax: 011 57 4 971 1777 Salutation: Estimado Sr Gobernador/ Dear Governor COPIES TO: Non-governmental organisation: Centro de Investigacion y Educacion Popular (CINEP) AA 25916 Santafe de Bogota, Colombia Ambassador Luis Alberto Moreno Embassy of Colombia 2118 Leroy Pl. NW Washington DC 20008 Please send appeals immediately. Check with the Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm, Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending appeals after October 2, 2001. Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights. Please do not repost this appeal to any part of the Internet without prior permission from Amnesty International. Thank you for your help with this appeal. Urgent Action Network Amnesty International USA PO Box 1270 Nederland CO 80466-1270 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/ Phone: 303 258 1170 Fax: 303 258 7881 ________________________________________________________________ **************************************************************** * CLM-NEWS is brought to you by the COLOMBIAN LABOR MONITOR at * * http://www.prairienet.org/clm * * and the CHICAGO COLOMBIA COMMITTEE * * Email us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or * * Dennis Grammenos at [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * To subscribe send request to [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * subscribe clm-news Your Name * **************************************************************** _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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