CPTnet
April 13, 2001
COLOMBIA: "My Easter is Daniel"

[Note: Hector Mondragon has been an important contact for CPT in Colombia.
The following article was sent by Justapaz, a human rights organization
affiliated with the Colombian Mennonite Church, which has invited CPT to
establish a project in Colombia.]

³If you see me tremble it's its not because I`m nervous, it`s because I
was tortured when I was 23, " begins Hector Mondragon with a beaming smile.
This Mennonite activist is targeted by paramilitaries for raising his voice
against state-sponsored violence. He is trained as a sociologist and has
done much work in political analysis, indigenous rights, unions, and
biotech. Today, the dynamic speaker of small stature is dressed in blue
jeans. Hector`s smile confuses listeners. How can one relive persecution
and radiate life simultaneously?

When he was 23 the military kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured him.
³After days of torture I thought only of killing myself," he admitted.
The turning point came one Sunday. While Hector was held in a nearby cell,
soldiers rolled joints of marijuana in pages of the Bible and blared a
sermon on the radio. They laughed with pride at their own cleverness, sure
their superiors were fooled into thinking they were having their own
service. Unknown to the soldiers, their deceptive plan provided Hector`s
freedom. The message coming from the radio spoke truth to this prisoner,
drawing him from captivity into the belief that he would not meet death at
this time.

The radio pastor spoke of Daniel in the lion's den. When Hector heard this
he knew that he, like Daniel, would not fall prey to the jaws of death. The
physical freedom came when his cousin, an officer in the infantry,
discovered that he`d been imprisoned. After breaking down in tears, he
ordered Hector`s release.

While in jail, Hector experienced a return from the darkness of death to the
light of faith and life. Hector`s son carries the story of his father's
figurative resurrection. ³I gave my son this name, Daniel. I celebrate
each time I see him. This is my Easter."

And now, is Hector free? He is free in spirit, but is a man marked for death
by political operatives. ³To create routine is to commit suicide. I don`t
sleep in the same bed two nights in a row. I used to teach Sunday school,
but I can`t attend church any more. My friends have been killed for
following their daily routine, attending a birthday parties, picking up
their children after work....I can`t do anything to establish a traceable
route."

And you ask, how does he continue? ³We burn with Jeremiah's fire. If not,
we couldn't continue organizing and struggling. God`s word is a burden, and
with this fire we continue struggling." The prophet Jeremiah spoke
constantly and passionately to the people of Judah, urging them to repent
and change their ways. They didn`t act. For his prophetic voice, Jeremiah
was rejected and imprisoned, but still he persisted. ³We lack much in this
country, but we burn with Jeremiah's fire. Do this--take our faith to your
people. One thing we have-if not hope- is faith."

Hector Mondragon is going on a speaking tour with Witness for Peace in the
northeast region of the U.S. For more information, go to the WfP web page
at www.witnessforpeace.org