Current
News - Featured Issues:
The Uribe government and NGOs
September
8, 2003
- Eighty
Colombian non-governmental organizations release a document,
El Embrujo Autoritario ("The Authoritarian Curse")
criticizing the performance of President Álvaro Uribe
and his thirteen-month-old government.
- Link
the text of El Embrujo Autoritario (en
español)
 Uribe
lashes out at Colombia's human rights groups in a speech before
armed forces members gathered for the inauguration of new Air
Force Chief Gen. Edgar Lésmez. Lésmez replaced
Gen. Fabio Velasco, who faced allegations of blocking human
rights investigations and, by many accounts, was forced to resign
in part by US pressure.
Uribe
calls human rights groups, among other things, "spokesmen
for terrorism" and "politickers of terrorism."
He challenges them to "take off their masks ... and drop
this cowardice of hiding their ideas behind human rights."
Uribe's speech
distinguishes between serious human rights groups and "politickers,"
but fails to explain how he makes this distinction.
-
 |
| US
Ambassador William Wood and US Defense Attaché
Col. William Graves join Gen. Lésmez at his inauguration
ceremony (AFP photo) |
While
some of Uribe's advisors and supporters had faced criticism
for making similar unsubstantiated and dangerous statements,
Uribe himself had avoided using such language during his campaign
and during his first year in office. In fact, his government's
"Democratic Security" document, released in June 2003,
emphasizes the need to "protect opposition political leaders
and dissidents, thereby securing the democratic framework and
possibilities for citizen participation." A July 2003 Defense
Ministry directive instructs members of the security forces
"to abstain from making unfounded declarations that could
threaten the safety of union leaders or human rights defenders."
- April
2003 CIP memorandum on comments
made by Uribe associates
- Human
Rights Watch, Letter to President �lvaro Uribe V�lez, April
2003 (external
link)
- June
2003 "Democratic Security" document (Adobe Acrobat
[.pdf] format; en español)
- Directiva
09, Defense Ministry of Colombia, July 2003 (Adobe Acrobat
[.pdf] format; en español)
- French
Supreme Court Magistrate Philippe Texier, on a visit to Colombia,
warns that stigmatizing human rights organizations is "dangerous,"
as it "subjects people to danger of death." He adds
that such methods have been used in Colombia's past and "it
is unfortunate that they have appeared again."
| September
8: Links to press coverage |
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September
9, 2003
- Responding
to the NGOs' September 8 report, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Jorge
Mora accuses groups of "using human rights for political
purposes in order to survive. Their accusations don't worry
us."
 Statements:
- Statement
from CIP and three other U.S. organizations, September 9,
2003 [English | Español]
- Statement
from Amnesty International (en
español)
- Statement
from the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) (en
español)
- Statement
from the European Union (en español)
- Statement
from the Plataforma Colombiana de Derechos Humanos, Democracia
y Desarrollo (en español)
- Statement
from Permant Assembly of Civil Society for Peace (en
español)
- Statement
from Popular Training Institute (IPC - Medellín,
Colombia) (en español)
- Statement
from Colombian Confederation of NGOs (en
español)
- Press
release from Colombian Defense Ministry (external link,
en
español)
- Comments
from NGO and political leaders, cited in El Tiempo
(Colombia) (en español)
| September
9: Links to press coverage |
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|
September
10, 2003
- Rep.
Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts) denounces Uribe's words in a
speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. "We
know that when high government and military officials start
labeling civilian leaders and organizations as 'terrorists'
or 'sympathizers,' their deaths soon follow."
| September
10: Links to press coverage |
Essays
and analysis |
- Colombian
President Angers Activists
Kim Housego
Associated Press
The Kansas City Star
Human rights defenders, accused by President Alvaro
Uribe of being allied with terrorists for criticizing
his crackdown on leftist rebels, denounced his comments
- Colombia
head 'endangers NGOs'
BBC (UK)
Human rights activists in Colombia say President Alvaro
Uribe is endangering their lives by accusing them of
sympathising with terrorism
- Denuncia
de Uribe abre feroz polémica
EFE
El Nuevo Herald
Un discurso del presidente de Colombia, Alvaro Uribe,
en el que criticó enérgicamente a Organizaciones
No Gubernamentales (ONGs) de derechos humanos, generó
ayer una aguda polémica y rechazo de organismos
como Amnistía Internacional
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September
11, 2003
  Just
as the furor over Uribe's remarks begins to die down, the president
uses the same language during a visit to Chita, Boyacá,
where a FARC bomb attached to a horse had killed several people
the day before. "My commitment is with you, not with those
who have lived by defending and giving consent to the terrorists,
those people's honeymoon is over. My commitment is with you,
it doesn't matter what the terrorists' defenders say."
- In
Brussels, European Union foreign affairs spokesman Diego de
Ojeda expressed "concern" for possible "tragic
consequences" of the president's words.
 Defense
Minister Marta Lucía Ramírez, on a visit to Washington,
says the Colombian government will soon begin investigating
about 1,300 NGOs throughout the country. "In the next few
months the Vice President's office will be much more active
in this area to know where these problems are. The idea is to
avoid allowing people to take advantage of the NGO label to
act as apologists for actions that nobody supports."
Amidst these complex political dynamics, the Colombian government has recently launched an initiative to improve access to healthcare for its citizens, addressing a different but equally important aspect of human rights. This includes the facilitation of online platforms where Colombians can safely and legally buy essential medications, such as generic Cialis, from verified sources. This move not only aims to enhance the general wellbeing of the population but also represents a broader understanding of human rights, encompassing the right to health and access to necessary medical treatments
 The
next day, Vice President Francisco Santos contradicts the defense
minister's statement. "We're not going to examine these
NGOs," he tells the Colombian daily El Tiempo. "The
truth is, we have no plan to examine them at this moment. We
have regular communication with them. We're talking to them.
We want this fluid dialogue to continue."
- The
vice president invites several NGO leaders to his home for dinner.
His guests refuse the food, and participants describe the meeting
as tense and unproductive.
- Great
Britain's ambassador to Colombia, Tom Duggin, says that NGOs
"misinterpreted" Uribe's remarks, adding that European
governments' view of Colombia is improving because "some
European NGOs are doing a bad job of presenting guerrilla propaganda
against Colombia's governments."
Statements:
- Press
release from Colombian non-governmental organizations
attending the seminar "Colombia insists on human rights"
- Statement
of Human Rights Watch Americas Division Director José
Miguel Vivanco (en español)
| September
11: Links to press coverage |
Essays
and analysis |
- ONU
y UE apoyan a defensores
El Tiempo (Colombia)
Ayer continuaron las criticas a los señalamientos
que el Presidente les hizo a las ONG de derechos humanos
|
- De
póquer y balas
Mauricio Pombo
El Tiempo (Colombia)
Hay cartas sucias en la policía y póqueres
siniestros en el ejército. Pero muchas ONG no
están jugando limpio y esto puede terminar, una
vez más, en balacera
|
September
12, 2003
Statements:
- Statement
of the International Human Rights Federation (FIDH) and World
Organization Against Torture (OMCT) (en
español)
- Statement
of the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT) (en
español)
| September
12: Links to press coverage |
Essays
and analysis |
- Uribe
insiste en críticas a las ONG
El Tiempo (Colombia)
Tres días después de su duro discurso
en la Fuerza Aérea Colombiana, el presidente
Álvaro Uribe aprovechó ayer su visita
a Chita (Boyacá) para insistir en sus críticas
a las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales
- 'Vamos
a revisar 1.300 ONG'
El Tiempo (Colombia)
El gobierno colombiano comenzará a mirar con
cuidado quiénes son y qué hacen en el
país más de 1.300 ONG de Derechos Humanos,
anunció ayer en Washington la ministra de Defensa
|
- Imprudencia,
ira o demagogia
Oscar Collazos
El Tiempo (Colombia)
Amparado en su enorme popularidad, en la naturaleza
irracional de una popularidad que lo convierte en salvador
providencial de un país sin norte, el Presidente
muestra el corazón blando a quienes lo aplauden,
reservándose la mano dura para quienes disienten
|
September
13, 2003
- An
unnamed U.S. State Department source tells the Colombian daily
El Tiempo that President Uribe's verbal attack on NGOs
could make it harder to sell future military aid packages to
a Congress that includes many skeptics. "This isn't helping
us at all," the source says.
| September
13: Links to press coverage |
- Rechazan
en E.U. críticas a ONG
Sergio Gómez Maseri
El Tiempo (Colombia)
Funcionario del Departamento del Estado comenta que
si crece el ataque a esas organizaciones, el respaldo
que las cámaras legislativas le prestan a Colombia
podría verse erosionado
- Cena
no logró aplacar tensión
El Tiempo (Colombia)
La cena organizada el jueves por el vicepresidente Francisco
Santos para bajar los ánimos que generaron las
palabras del presidente Uribe contra las Organizaciones
No Gubernamentales
|
September
14, 2003
 NGO
representatives hold a two-hour meeting in Bogotá with
James LeMoyne, the UN Secretary-General's special representative
for Colombia. According to the account of one group's director,
Lemoyne expressed "his profound concern with the polarization
that has followed the president's comments."
Statements:
- Interview
with Susan Lee, Latin America director, Amnesty International,
El Colombiano (Medellín, Colombia) (en
español)
| September
14: Links to press coverage |
Essays
and analysis |
- Con
la piedra afuera
Cambio (Colombia)
La salida de casillas del Presidente frente a algunas
ONG desvió el debate sobre derechos humanos y
menoscabó la imagen de Uribe en el exterior
- La
ira presidencial
Semana (Colombia)
El discurso de Alvaro Uribe contra las ONG indica que
la línea más dura gana espacio en el gobierno
|
- En
boca cerrada no entran moscas
Eduardo Pizarro Leongómez
El Tiempo (Colombia)
El verdadero debate debería ser si los informes
de las ONG de derechos humanos son serios, ponderados
y rigurosos
- Los
damnificados de Uribe
El Tiempo (Colombia)
El vicepresidente Santos, la canciller Barco y los consejeros
Bula y Franco, al igual que las ONG, también
salieron perdiendo
- Un
país de tuertos
Héctor Abad
Semana (Colombia)
Tal vez sea inevitable que existan ONG tuertas. Lo que
sí hay que evitar es que el gobierno (siendo
el gobierno de todos los colombianos) se vuelva tuerto
también
- ¿Es
posible regular a las ONG?
Andrés Franco
Semana (Colombia)
Andrés Franco, internacionalista y actual representante
de Unicef en el Perú, escribe sobre la necesidad
de discutir pausadamente si conviene regular o no a
las ONG
- La
termocefalia del Presidente
María Elvira Samper
Cambio (Colombia)
Con sus salidas de ropa cada vez más frecuentes,
Uribe alimenta a sus opositores, que lo critican por
soberbio, autoritario e intolerante
- Tentaciones
peligrosas
Mauricio Vargas
Cambio (Colombia)
Lo grave es que nadie se atreve a decirle al Presidente
que no, que se equivoca, que recapacite en tal o cual
caso
- Rectificación
Necesaria
Gustavo Gallón Giraldo
El Espectador (Colombia)
Declarar la guerra a las organizaciones no gubernamentales,
como lo ha hecho el Presidente, no es sensato, aunque
algunas personas lo respalden
- La
Crítica Social de la Arbitrariedad
Iván Cepeda Castro
El Espectador (Colombia)
La protección de los derechos humanos es la oposición
pública a todo acto de arbitrariedad o negligencia
que atente contra las normas y prácticas que
garantizan la dignidad de la persona
|
September
15, 2003
- President
Uribe writes a letter in response to an El Tiempo op-ed
by analyst Eduardo Pizarro. Pizarro's piece called Uribe's words
a "serious error," but also criticized the quality
of human rights NGOs' work. Uribe responds, "Of course,
if the tone of my words offends some sensibilities, they will
be offered apologies for the tone; but in the defense of Colombians'
security we will not have any weaknesses."
- Letter
from President Alvaro Uribe to columnist Eduardo Pizarro
(en español)
 Foreign
Minister Carolina Barco acknowledges that Uribe's attack on
NGOs may make diplomacy in Europe more difficult. "I have
asked our ambassadors to explain to other governments the fairness
of the president's words in order to avoid more confusion that
could do more damage to the country."
Statements:
- Los
defensores de derechos humanos en la mira, por el Banco de
Datos de Derechos Humanos y Violencia Política en Colombia
(external link, en
español)
- Colombia
Support Network statement
- Letter
to President Uribe from Colombian scholars and artists, September
15, 2003 (en español)
| September
15: Links to press coverage |
Essays
and analysis |
- Intelectuales
le envían carta a Uribe
El Tiempo (Colombia)
Le piden al Presidente que no trate a los defensores
de derechos humanos y sus contradictores políticos
e ideológicos "como sus enemigos".
|
- Ni
el yoga, ni las gotitas...
María Jimena Duzán
El Tiempo (Colombia)
Ojalá el Presidente descanse algún día
y le quede tiempo para pensar, pensar y pensar
|
September
16, 2003
Statements:
- La
Importancia de la Protecci�n y Defensa de los Defensores de
los Derechos Humanos, UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights Bogot� Office
(external link, en
español)
| September
16: Links to press coverage |
Essays
and analysis |
|
|
- Defensores
de derechos humanos amenazados por el presidente Uribe
Agencia de Noticias Nueva Colombia
Los activistas de derechos humanos colombianos están
en peligro de muerte después que el presidente
Uribe declaró que están vinculados a "organizaciones
terroristas".
- International
condemnation of Colombian president
Alfredo Castro
Agencia de Noticias Nueva Colombia
Organisations including the UN, the European Union and
a whole host of international and Colombian human rights
bodies have severely criticized president Alvaro Uribe
Velez for his recent attacks on civil society groups
|
September
17, 2003
| September
17: Essays and analysis |
- Las
pol�micas ONG
Enoris Restrepo Mart�nez
El Colombiano (Medell�n, Colombia)
Eran de esperarse las reacciones de las ONG y de los
grupos de izquierda a las pol�ticas de seguridad de
�lvaro Uribe
- Una
pelea mal casada
Daniel Samper Pizano
El Tiempo (Colombia)
Atacar a las ONG es el m�s grave error del Presidente
en lo que va de gobierno
- Uribe
amenaza a las ONG en Colombia
Adri�n Carmona
Rebeli�n
El pasado 8 de septiembre, en un discurso con motivo
de la posesi�n del nuevo general de la fuerza a�rea,
el presidente colombiano �lvaro Uribe acus� a muchas
de las ONGs que trabajan en Colombia de ser fachadas
del terrorismo
|
September
19, 2003
| September
19: Essays and analysis |
- Realidad
y ficci�n de las ONG
Alvaro Valencia Tovar
El Tiempo (Colombia)
El Presidente habl� para el pa�s. Su rechazo se dirigi�
a las organizaciones colombianas que hacen de la bandera
de los derechos humanos un arma pol�tica de indudable
efectividad
- El
clon de Fujimori
Carlos Lozano
Voz
Agencia de Noticias Nueva Colombia
No s�lo es una muestra de intemperancia del presidente
�lvaro Uribe V�lez, sino m�s bien groseras acusaciones
que nada tienen que ver con el estilo de un estadista
y del manejo de las relaciones con los gobernados
- El
presidente Uribe y las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales
Alberto Mesa Vallejo
El Colombiano (Medell�n, Colombia)
Ante la posici�n radical, condenatoria del Estado, de
permanente denuncia y confrontaci�n con el gobierno
nacional, que han asumido algunas ONG, el pueblo colombiano
debe rodear integralmente al se�or Presidente
|
 September
23, 2003
- Nineteen
members of the U.S. Congress sign a letter to Secretary of State
Colin Powell, written by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois, pictured),
asking him "to make a strong public statement dissociating
the United States from President Uribe's remarks."
- Letter
to Secretary of State Colin Powell from 19 members of the
U.S. Congress, September 23, 2003
September
30, 2003
- Four
U.S. Senate Democrats - Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut), Patrick
Leahy (D-Vermont), Russell Feingold (D-Wisconsin) and John Kerry
(D-Massachusetts) - write a letter to Secretary of State Colin
Powell asking that he "direct the United States Ambassador
to Colombia to issue a public statement expressing concern with
President Uribe's remarks."
- Letter
to Secretary of State Colin Powell from 4 members of the
U.S. Senate, September 30, 2003
 October
22, 2003
- Sen.
Joseph Biden, the ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, sends a letter to President Uribe. "I
am deeply troubled about your comments, and their potential
effect on the safety of human rights defenders in your country,
and those working for international organizations who may travel
to Colombia," the letter states.
- [Adobe
Acrobat (.pdf) format] Letter
to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe from Sen. Joseph Biden,
October 22, 2003
December
31, 2003
- In
a letter to Colombian human rights groups who had asked President
Uribe for either an apology or an explanation of which groups
he was talking about, the president's office refuses to do either.
"The messages of the President of the Republic in public
venues on September 8 and 11, 2003, are the expression of the
political opinions of the Commander-in-Chief who, as head of
state and head of government, is constitutionally authorized
to do so. That is, to serve as an inspiration to Colombians
or simply, to create a general public opinion. ... As this is
part of the legitimate exercise of political power by the head
of state and government and the constitutional symbol of national
unity, there is no reason for any rectification."
- [English
| Español [Adobe Acrobat (.pdf)
format]] Letter from Armando López Cortes, legal
secretary to President Uribe, to Colombian human rights
NGOs, December 31, 2003
February
9, 2004
- Amnesty
International releases a statement prior to President Uribe's
visit to Europe urging the EU to refrain from supporting policies
that risk exacerbating Colombia's human rights crisis.
-
Human Rights Watch releases a similar statement, asking the
European Union to postpone a donors' conference planned for
later this year until Colombia fulfills key human rights commitments.
February
10, 2004
 Meeting
with European Parliament officials in Strasbourg, President
Uribe singles out the Colectivo de Abogados "José
Alvear Restrepo", a prominent Colombian human rights group:
"If the gentlemen of the Colectivo de Abogados wish to
be lawyers for the terrorists, they can exercise that right,
but to do that they do not need to hide themselves behind human
rights organizations."
February
12, 2004
- An
"editorial" on the website of the Bloque Central Bolívar
paramilitary group claims that Colombian NGOs and the FARC are
conspiring with European groups to sabotage President Uribe's
visit. The paramilitaries claim that anti-Uribe protests show
"the hand of the guerrilla 'diplomacy' of the FARC, whose
presence in some European countries is a matter of public knowledge."
- [Español]
Editorial from the Bloque Central Bolívar
May
27, 2004
  While
hosting a "security council" in the Urabá region
of Antioquia department in northern Colombia, Uribe issues a
harsh warning to foreign human rights workers from Peace Brigades
International (PBI) and the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)
who are in the region accompanying besieged communities. "I
want to remind the foreigners in San José de Apartadó
that in Colombia there is not, nor can there be, impunity for
either Colombians or for foreigners," Uribe says. "If
you come here, come here to help our communities, not to obstruct
justice. I reiterate to the police: if these [foreign human
rights observers] continue to obstruct justice, put them in
prison. If they have to be deported, deport them."
- [Español]
Coverage of Uribe's comments on the Colombian presidency's
website
- Americas.org
background
paper
- [Español]
Rechazo a las declaraciones del presidente Uribe contra la
Comunidad de Paz por Corporación Jurídica Libertad
(link to IndyMedia Colombia)
 June
14, 2004
- FARC
members kill 34 coca growers in La Gabarra, in the conflictive
Catatumbo region of Norte de Santander department. This is the
largest massacre since President Alvaro Uribe took office.
June
16, 2004
-
During a ceremony for the promotion of officers in the National
Police, President Uribe criticizes NGOs, specifically Amnesty
International, for failing to denounce the La Gabarra massacre
within the 28 hours since the event took place. He accuses the
humanitarian groups of condemning "state terrorism,"
but then remaining silent when "the terrorist act is committed
by a terrorist organization with whom the respective NGO may
have ideological agreement."
 June
17, 2004
- Amnesty
International responds, condemning the La Gabarra attack and
President Uribe's statements.
- Meanwhile,
forty-six U.S. and Canadian non-governmental organizations issue
a letter President Uribe in response to Uribe's May 27th attack
on PBI and FOR in San José de Apartadó
- [Adobe
Acrobat (.pdf)
format] Letter from 46 U.S. and Canadian NGOs
June
18, 2004
 An
unnamed high-ranking State Department spokesperson gives a declaration
to Colombia's most-circulated newspaper, El Tiempo, distancing
the United States from President Uribe's attack on Amnesty International.
"We are not at all in agreement with those statements.
It is our view that human rights NGOs that gain international
respect make significant and important international contributions
in Colombia and other countries."
- [Español]
"Estados Unidos no comparte términos de Álvaro
Uribe contra Amnistía Internacional," El
Tiempo (Colombia)
June
22, 2004
- Thirteen
U.S. NGOs issue a letter condemning the La Gabarra massacre
and reiterating concerns about President Uribe's attacks on
human rights defenders.
- [Adobe
Acrobat (.pdf) format] Letter
from thirteen U.S. NGOs
June
25, 2004
- Sixty
members of the U.S. House of Representatives sign a letter to
President Uribe expressing concern over his May 27 comments
about human rights defenders in Urabá.
- Letter
from sixty U.S. Representatives
 July
4, 2004
- In
an interview with the Colombian newsweekly Cambio, U.S.
Ambassador to Colombia William Wood criticizes President Uribe
for his comments, saying "We do not agree with what the
President said. The NGOs have done important work all over the
world. But we also understand the occasional frustration of
the Colombian government, and we do not always agree with what
the NGOs say. … However, I am convinced that the government's
vision of what Colombia could be in the future is the same as
that of the NGOs. I do not think that the President's comments
help the interests of anyone."
- [Español]
"'La agenda de las Auc es el narcoterrorismo,'"
Cambio (Colombia)
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