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Last
Updated:8/16/05
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Letter to President
Uribe from 50 members of the House, June 2005
June 2005 His Excellency
Alvaro Uribe Velez Dear Mr.
President: Reports by reliable international organizations and NGOs reveal that political violence in Colombia is used by all armed groups and affects Colombians in every social group. There are a number of cases which include threats against and murders of religious leaders, strategies of directly targeting women, and the persistence of violence against civilian organizations that do not wish to participate in the armed conflict. While we do not believe the government is responsible for all these cases, we believe that the Colombian government should increase its efforts to protect civilians, particularly in the specific cases described below. As you may know, there have been an alarming number of brutal attacks against church leaders by all parties to the conflict. According to the Colombian Council of Evangelical Churches (CEDECOL), a total of 40 Protestant leaders were murdered by different armed actors in 2003 and over 50 churches were closed. In 2004 and 2005, the trend continued. For example, on September 4, 2004, armed men, apparently paramilitaries, reportedly entered a Christian Missionary Alliance church in Puerto Asís, Putumayo and fired their weapons into the gathered congregation, killing two women and two men. One of the pastors, Angel Pinto, who assisted members of the congregation after the tragedy, was held by members of the FARC as he made a pastoral visit to another community. Pastor Pinto was told that his detention was ordered by superiors who were opposed to the work of pastors in rural areas. In another example of attacks against religious believers, on April 15, 2005, FARC guerillas used gas cylinder bombs. They killed one child, injured 20 civilians, and destroyed homes and a church vestry in the indigenous town of Toribio. Local indigenous leaders condemned the attack by the FARC and renewed their call for "the construction of real and lasting roads to peace." Further, Presbyterian Church leaders, and their partner organizations, in Barranquilla reported receiving a number of threats, presumably from paramilitary forces. Instead of providing protection for the church leaders, Colombian government officials detained two church workers and placed under surveillance Presbyterian Church programs assisting those displaced by the conflict. Even further, in Cartagena, Rev. Jesus Goez, leader of a displaced persons community, received death threats from an unknown source. On March 15, 2004, unidentified armed men kidnapped and beat his fifteen-year-old son. According to reports from the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, in recent years sixty-two Catholic priests, nuns and missionaries have been assassinated, four bishops kidnapped, the Archbishop of Cali was assassinated, and a Bishop from Arauca was kidnapped and later assassinated. Two troubling current cases involving priests include the detention of Fr. Cesar Darió Pena by the FARC in March 2004. To date, no public information is available about his whereabouts. In addition, there is the case of Fr. José Helmer Munoz Pareja who was detained days before the election for governor in 2003. Fr. Munoz reportedly was favored to win the race for governor, but police detained him and thirty other people and accused them of corruption and links to an illegal armed group. Cases of all but three persons were dropped reportedly because of lack of evidence. On April 14, 2004, however, officials charged Fr. Munoz with rebellion. Over a year later, he continues to wait for resolution of the legal charges against him. In the meantime, he has been threatened by FARC guerillas. In addition to religious leaders, women have been specifically targeted for violence as a strategy in the conflict. According to Amnesty International, rape, sexual mutilation, forced abortions and forced contraception are all elements of the strategy. While all armed actors carry out violence against women, rape and other sexual crimes are frequently carried out by security and paramilitary forces to provoke mass displacement or break perceived or imagined links between communities and guerrilla forces. For example, according to Amnesty International, "women and girls who have abandoned the FARC and ELN reported that both guerrilla groups force their own combatants to have abortions and use contraception, including girls as young as 12." According to 'Janet' who became a FARC combatant at age 12, "Any girl who gets pregnant has to have an abortion. The commander decides whether you can have the baby or have an abortion." In addition, Amnesty International reported that on July 15, 2004 two girls aged 16 and 17 were allegedly gang raped by more than 10 army soldiers attached to the IV Brigade in Sonsón Municipality, Antioquia Department. The girls and their families were reportedly threatened by some of the soldiers involved after they reported the rape to the Office of the Attorney General. Sadly, the cases of violence against women are numerous. On July 21, 2003 a leader of the National Association of Peasant, Black and Indigenous Women of Colombia (ANMUCIC) was kidnapped, allegedly by paramilitaries, and held for three days, during which time she was reportedly tortured and subjected to sexual abuse. In another case, on August 12, 2003, FARC members kidnapped Rina Bolano, a bacteriologist working with indigenous peoples. After being released, she lodged an official complaint alleging that the local FARC commander had repeatedly raped her. A few days after lodging her complaint, Ms. Bolano was arrested on the orders of the local Attorney General's office and accused of rebellion. Finally, we are disturbed by recent reports of violence against communities and individuals who have sought to publicly distance themselves from the armed conflict. One such community is the peace community in San José de Apartadó. The community, which rejects the presence and participation of armed actors in their town and villages, has reportedly suffered 150 deaths since its foundation eight years ago. Most recently, beginning on February 21, 2005 eight residents of San José, including four minors ranging from age two to seventeen, were murdered. Several of the victims' bodies were dismembered. Community members allege that members of the Colombian Armed Forces were in the area and were responsible. We are concerned that without a thorough investigation, government leaders, including Vice President Santos, perhaps too quickly concluded who was responsible. In addition, statements from your office alleging guerrilla infiltration of San Jose de Apartadó have put the community at further risk. Unfortunately, there have been insufficient actions to consult with the traumatized community and provide appropriate security measures. Mr. President, we understand that actions taken by the FARC and ELN are outside of your direct control. We also believe there are important steps your government can take to protect civilians from the conflict, and thus reflect your continued commitment to upholding the rule of law and respect for human rights in Colombia. Where there are credible allegations that security force members are directly responsible - or responsible through collaboration with paramilitary forces - for human rights violations, we urge your government to increase its efforts to suspend, investigate and prosecute those responsible, even when it includes high-ranking security personnel. In addition, we respectfully urge more vigorous investigations of attacks against civilians by guerrillas and paramilitary forces. We respectfully request that under your leadership, the government make clear its respect for the right of civilians to remain outside of the conflict, and not label such civilians (including Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities, those acting from religious conviction, or peace communities) in ways that put them further at risk. Non-combatant civilians should not be targets of any armed group. We respectfully call on you to use all means at your disposal to ensure that the human rights of all Colombians are protected. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to hearing from you regarding each of these cases as well as continuing to work with you to help bring an end to the conflict in Colombia. Sincerely, |
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