Press release from Colombian non-governmental organizations attending the seminar "Colombia insists on human rights," September 11, 2003

Press release from Colombian non-governmental organizations attending the seminar "Colombia insists on human rights," September 11, 2003
PRESS RELEASE

Human rights, social, labor and peace organizations, confronted with the declarations made by the President on September 8th, express our rejection of his violent and aggressive attitude toward opinions that peacefully question his policies, disqualifying, stigmatizing and putting at risk all those who defend human rights and democracy.

Those declarations not only contravene the duty of the State to protect the life and physical integrity of all persons as well as the rights to freedom of expression and opinion, but they also constitute a flagrant noncompliance with U.N. and O.A.S. recommendations and a breach of the commitments that the government itself assumed before the international community at the London donors' meeting.

The enormous gravity of those declarations engages the responsibility of the President of the Republic in any aggression or attack against human rights defenders, social leaders or peacebuilders in Colombia.

The State is under the obligation to guarantee our right to reply through national television under the same conditions in which the President's declarations were presented.

We gratefully highlight the unconditional support given to the legitimate work we carry out in Colombia by the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission of the O.A.S, the European Union, members of the United States Congress, international human rights organizations and cooperation agencies with regard to the aggressions pronounced by President Alvaro Uribe Vélez.

We will maintain our democratic will for dialogue, and we will continue to exercise our right to such dialogue, in order that an environment of tolerance, serenity, seriousness and coherence is promoted by all government representatives, as well as respect for differing opinions and effective guarantees for our lives and our work.

In spite of the hostile environment generated by the Head of State, we will carry on with determination our defense of human rights and humanitarian law, peace and democracy, and we will continue to condemn those acts that violate them, such as the death of civilians produced by a horse-bomb yesterday in the town of Chita (Boyacá) and any such abuses as are committed daily in our country, whatever their source. In all cases, we will face united any attempts by the President to create an artificial distinction between acceptable and undesirable organizations.

Bogotá, September 11th 2003, at the Seminar "Colombia Insists on Human Rights"