Speech
by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), January 22, 2001
PROTECTING
HUMAN RIGHTS IN COLOMBIA -- (Senate - January 22, 2001)
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Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I would like to call my colleagues' attention
to the brave and persistent efforts of the Association of the Families
of the Detained and Disappeared on behalf of human rights in Colombia.
One of the most
pressing human rights emergencies in our hemisphere has been taking place
in Colombia, where the government, paramilitary groups, and guerrillas
remain locked in fierce struggles. Thousands of innocent civilians have
been caught in the crossfire, and human rights abuses have been rampant.
Throughout Colombia, members of ASFADDES have responded to this crisis
by seeking justice for their relatives who have been killed or disappeared.
Members of ASFADDES
ask that cases of forced disappearances be properly investigated and prosecuted.
They have worked for the last twelve years to make forced disappearances
an official crime in Colombia, and a law was finally passed last year
to do so, because of their work and dedication.
Because of their
calls for justice, members of ASFADDES are at tremendous personal risk.
Since 1993, their members have received numerous threats. According to
ASFADDES, members have been harassed, and have been the subject of intelligence-gathering
by Colombian police and military personnel.
The members are
under particular threat, because they are one of the few organizations
to bring cases against members of Colombia's security forces at the local,
national, and international levels--including the Interamerican Commission
on Human Rights--often raising the issue of collusion between Colombia's
security forces and the paramilitary. ASFADDES is the only nation-wide
organization in Colombia that represents families of human rights victims.
Attacks are carried out against the staff of the organization and against
the family members who seek the organization's help.
Regrettably, serious
acts of violence against members increased in 2000.
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Elizabeth Can 6as of Barrancabermeja chapter was murdered on July 11;
one day after the forced disappearance law was passed. On October 6, two
members of the Medellin chapter, Angel Quintero and Claudia Patricia Monsalve,
were disappeared. Members of the Popayan and Bogota chapters were harassed
and followed, and escalating death threats were received by ASFADDES members
throughout the country. The severity of the threats and attacks led the
organization to temporarily close its offices last year. Sadly, a systematic
campaign of terror against the organization appears to be underway.
The Interamerican Commission on Human Rights has ordered the Colombian
government to provide special protective measures to ASFADDES members
to ensure their safety. While certain measures have been taken by the
government, ASFADDES asserts that they are not always carried out expeditiously.
Moreover, the organization is extremely concerned that the Colombian government
has not taken adequate measures to investigate and prosecute the multiple
cases of threats, harassment, murder and disappearance directed against
its members.
I commend the courageous
members of ASFADDES, and all of the other men and women in Colombia who
have shown great bravery in risking their careers, and their very lives,
for the cause of human rights. I urge the Colombian Government to ensure
that ASFADDES members and offices receive full protection, and to keep
the organization informed about progress on cases it raises. I also urge
the government to ensure the effectiveness of the new commission established
to search for disappeared persons, under the new law against forced disappearances,
and to prosecute such cases vigorously.
END
As of February 15,
2001, this document was also available online at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/B?r107:@FIELD(FLD003+s)+@FIELD(DDATE+20010122)