Letter to President Pastrana signed by 16 House members, September 26, 2000

Letter to President Pastrana signed by 16 House members, September 26, 2000
Colombian Human Rights Workers are in Danger

September 22, 2000

Dear Colleague:

I hope you will join me in writing to Colombian President Andres Pastrana to urge him to take immediate action to protect the lives of human rights workers in Colombia. Given the news of recent threats to internationally recognized and respected human rights workers, this issue must be addressed on an urgent basis. Individuals working for human rights organizations risk their lives to protect others. We need to send a strong message that we value their work and are committed to their safety.

Please take a moment to read the following draft letter to President Pastrana. If you would like to sign the letter or have questions, you may contact me or Jon Samuels of my staff at 5-2111. The deadline for signing this letter is Tuesday September 26th. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress

September 26, 2000

Honorable Andres Pastrana Arango
President of Colombia
Palacio de Narino
Carrera 8 No. 7-26
Santafe de Bogota
Colombia

Dear President Pastrana:

We are writing out of our concern over news about escalating threats against human rights defenders and social activists in the Magdalena Medio region. While we recognize the many difficult challenges faced by your administration, actions to protect citizens engaged in human rights activities are of paramount importance. We urge your government to take immediate steps to guarantee the safety of individuals who have been threatened.

One recent threat was to Monica Madero Vergel, secretary of the human rights organization CREDHOS based in Barrancabermeja. An anonymous call on August 26th threatening to kill her if she and her friends did not leave Barrancabermeja was interpreted as a threat not only to her, but

also to all her colleagues at CREDHOS. CREDHOS has borne the brunt of brutal attacks for its valiant work, with six leaders killed and six forced into exile from 1987-92; its leaders have endured ongoing threats since that date. CREDHOS's important work documenting human rights abuses in the Magdaleno Medio region is well known internationally.

In the last few months, there have been numerous instances of paramilitary threats and attacks against human rights organizations working in Magdalena Medio, including against the Popular Women's Organization, the Association of Families of the Disappeared and Detained (ASFADDES), the Jose Alfear Restrepo Lawyers collective, and many farmers, union leaders and social activists. We have also learned that death lists are circulating in the Magdalena Medio region with names of hundreds of human rights defenders, union workers, including leaders of the oil workers' union USO, teachers and social activists.

The recent deplorable killings of Elizabeth Canas Cano of ASFADDES and peasant leader Orlando Moncada, and the disappearance of tradesman Onaldo Flores, heighten our concern for those threatened. We understand that the urgency of the situation has led local civil society leaders to convene a human rights conference in Barrancabermeja at the end of this month, and we expect that your government will pay careful attention to the issues raised by the affected communities.

We urge you to take swift and effective actions to protect the safety of Monica Madero Vergel, all her CREDHOS colleagues, and the many human rights defenders, union and social activists who carry out their courageous efforts in the Magdaleno Medio region today. Moreover, we urge your government to investigate the source of the threats and attacks, including the intellectual authors of such actions, and to prosecute those responsible.

Finally, we take this opportunity to express our call to all actors of the Colombian conflict to abide by international humanitarian law, including respect for noncombatants, and to advance towards a negotiated, peaceful settlement to this devastating conflict.

Sincerely,

Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois)
Nancy Pelosi (D-California)
Joe Moakley (D-Massachusetts)
Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin)
Maxine Waters (D-California)
Sam Farr (D-California)
Connie Morella (R-Maryland)
Carolyn Maloney (D-New York)
Cynthia McKinney (D-Georgia)
Robert Wexler (D-Florida)
Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina)
Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon)
Jerrold Nadler (D-New York)
Michael Capuano (D-Massachusetts)
James P. McGovern (D-Massachusetts)
Henry Waxman (D-California)