COLOMBIA UPDATE: February 2008
March 27th, 2008
in:
CPTnet
27 March 2008
COLOMBIA UPDATE: February 2008
CPT continued weekly accompaniment of the Opón and attended numerous meetings with government officials regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in the Middle Magdalena.
The Colombian Army increased street patrols detaining young men who cannot show proof of completion of mandatory military service.
President Uribe visited Barrancabermeja, meeting with mayors from the region, who denounced the presence of rearmed paramilitaries. One mayor reported that the problem facing his municipality is not the absence of state armed forces but that the state armed forces are aligned with the illegal armed groups.
CPTers on team in Barrancabermeja during this period were Michele Braley, Nils Dybvig, Charletta Erb, Jim Fitz, Tim Nafziger, Carol Rose, Pierre Shantz, and Stewart Vriesinga.
3 February
While the team was taking an afternoon off at a lake, an army truck arrived. Soldiers walked through the restaurant and along the beach, taking young men who could not show proof of their military service. Team members expressed concern to the soldiers about this recruitment practice. One soldier told them, "If these young men are exempt from military duty because they are students, then they should be home studying." Colombian law requires the military to issue a citation to appear at the battalion to clarify one's military service status prior to any detention.
4 February
Hundreds of Barrancans participated in the international day of marches against the FARC. Following the lead of the Human Rights Workers Forum (ESPACIO) who believed that the message of the march diverted attention to real causes and solutions to the conflict, CPT did not participate. See 4 February 2008 CPTnet release, "A False Dilemma"<http://cpt.org/cptnet/2008/02/04/colombia-false-dilemma-march-or-not-march-protest-against-farc>
8 February
Shantz, Fitz, and Nafziger accompanied ESPACIO at a meeting with the National Ombudsman for Human Rights who visited Barrancabermeja. The Ombudsman made a commitment to investigate the cases of human rights violations presented to him.
13 February
Nafziger and Vriesinga joined ESPACIO to accompany a public meeting between workers on the African palm plantations in Puerto Wilches—who have been striking for higher wages and better conditions since January 30—and representatives of Puerto Wilches' twelve neighborhoods to request community support through a general strike. Those attending unanimously pledged support. A nun from Barrancabermeja gave a rousing message, saying that despite the risk of reprisals it is Christian to stand up for justice, the way Jesus did. For additional information see 1 March CPTnet release, "COLOMBIA: Puerto Wilches neighborhoods declare general strike in support of African palm workers"<http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2008/03/01/colombia-puerto-wilches-neighborhoods-declare-general-strike-support-african-palm->
(At the end of February the companies were negotiating with the striking workers.)
16 February
The Opón communities presented their development plan to Mayor Contreras' planning team. Community leaders told Fitz and Shantz that the community has hope that through this process they will receive the support they have requested for years.
17 February
CPTers accompanied an action of youth organizations responding to the twenty-five murders in Barrancabermeja in 2008. On signal, twenty-five youth who were mingling throughout Parque de la Vida, fell to the ground, with red liquid on their shirts representing blood symbolizing the dead. Another group entered the park singing, "Death came to look for me, and I told it, Stop! Respect me!" The members then traced a chalk outline around each body, helped the person up, and placed a candle in the middle of each silhouette.
22 February
Shantz and Vriesinga attended the Mayor's session gathering feedback from human rights workers. Human rights workers shared history of the conflict in the region and said that the last two mayors avoided addressing the conflict and violence because they said it damaged the image of Barranca. The Mayor's representative said, "The Mayor recognizes that there is a violent conflict in Barranca and he wants to confront it and he needs your help and that is why we are here today."
27 February
European Union representatives to Colombia met with the Human Rights Workers Forum (ESPACIO) to hear human rights concerns. Braley, Fitz, and Vriesinga attended. After organizations presented summaries of the threats facing their leadership and constituents, one leader said the human rights situation would be worse if it were not for the many organizations represented in the room. He gave a plea for continued funding for Program for Development and Peace. The EU representative expressed support for the human rights concerns presented by ESPACIO.
28 February
Braley and Vriesinga attended the Fourth Annual Regional Assembly of Victims of Violence sponsored by the Association of Victims of the Middle Magdalena, ASORVIM. Speakers introduced themselves and their work. A priest spoke of the 28 February 1999 massacre. He said victims of the conflict have been accused of being militants and that if participants strengthened the victim's movement they will show that they are citizens, not militants. He cautioned against dividing people along lines of who victimized them but to see every one as a victim of the conflict's violent acts.
The Technical Secretary of ESPACIO spoke and said that the reference to sociopolitical violence on the event banner signifies that social and political exclusion is the general cause of the conflict in Colombia.
27-29 February
Dybvig and Rose participated in a verification mission that also included representatives of local, provincial and national government, the UN, the church and Program for Development and Peace. The communities around Mina Seca, southern Bolivar, spoke extensively about their desires for change and about abuses to their human rights including recent extrajudicial killings, a bombing, military presence in civilian spaces, threats by the Colombian military, and land mining by the FARC.
27 March 2008
COLOMBIA UPDATE: February 2008
CPT continued weekly accompaniment of the Opón and attended numerous meetings with government officials regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in the Middle Magdalena.
The Colombian Army increased street patrols detaining young men who cannot show proof of completion of mandatory military service.
President Uribe visited Barrancabermeja, meeting with mayors from the region, who denounced the presence of rearmed paramilitaries. One mayor reported that the problem facing his municipality is not the absence of state armed forces but that the state armed forces are aligned with the illegal armed groups.
CPTers on team in Barrancabermeja during this period were Michele Braley, Nils Dybvig, Charletta Erb, Jim Fitz, Tim Nafziger, Carol Rose, Pierre Shantz, and Stewart Vriesinga.
3 February
While the team was taking an afternoon off at a lake, an army truck arrived. Soldiers walked through the restaurant and along the beach, taking young men who could not show proof of their military service. Team members expressed concern to the soldiers about this recruitment practice. One soldier told them, "If these young men are exempt from military duty because they are students, then they should be home studying." Colombian law requires the military to issue a citation to appear at the battalion to clarify one's military service status prior to any detention.
4 February
Hundreds of Barrancans participated in the international day of marches against the FARC. Following the lead of the Human Rights Workers Forum (ESPACIO) who believed that the message of the march diverted attention to real causes and solutions to the conflict, CPT did not participate. See 4 February 2008 CPTnet release, "A False Dilemma"<http://cpt.org/cptnet/2008/02/04/colombia-false-dilemma-march-or-not-march-protest-against-farc>
8 February
Shantz, Fitz, and Nafziger accompanied ESPACIO at a meeting with the National Ombudsman for Human Rights who visited Barrancabermeja. The Ombudsman made a commitment to investigate the cases of human rights violations presented to him.
13 February
Nafziger and Vriesinga joined ESPACIO to accompany a public meeting between workers on the African palm plantations in Puerto Wilches—who have been striking for higher wages and better conditions since January 30—and representatives of Puerto Wilches' twelve neighborhoods to request community support through a general strike. Those attending unanimously pledged support. A nun from Barrancabermeja gave a rousing message, saying that despite the risk of reprisals it is Christian to stand up for justice, the way Jesus did. For additional information see 1 March CPTnet release, "COLOMBIA: Puerto Wilches neighborhoods declare general strike in support of African palm workers"<http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2008/03/01/colombia-puerto-wilches-neighborhoods-declare-general-strike-support-african-palm->
(At the end of February the companies were negotiating with the striking workers.)
16 February
The Opón communities presented their development plan to Mayor Contreras' planning team. Community leaders told Fitz and Shantz that the community has hope that through this process they will receive the support they have requested for years.
17 February
CPTers accompanied an action of youth organizations responding to the twenty-five murders in Barrancabermeja in 2008. On signal, twenty-five youth who were mingling throughout Parque de la Vida, fell to the ground, with red liquid on their shirts representing blood symbolizing the dead. Another group entered the park singing, "Death came to look for me, and I told it, Stop! Respect me!" The members then traced a chalk outline around each body, helped the person up, and placed a candle in the middle of each silhouette.
22 February
Shantz and Vriesinga attended the Mayor's session gathering feedback from human rights workers. Human rights workers shared history of the conflict in the region and said that the last two mayors avoided addressing the conflict and violence because they said it damaged the image of Barranca. The Mayor's representative said, "The Mayor recognizes that there is a violent conflict in Barranca and he wants to confront it and he needs your help and that is why we are here today."
27 February
European Union representatives to Colombia met with the Human Rights Workers Forum (ESPACIO) to hear human rights concerns. Braley, Fitz, and Vriesinga attended. After organizations presented summaries of the threats facing their leadership and constituents, one leader said the human rights situation would be worse if it were not for the many organizations represented in the room. He gave a plea for continued funding for Program for Development and Peace. The EU representative expressed support for the human rights concerns presented by ESPACIO.
28 February
Braley and Vriesinga attended the Fourth Annual Regional Assembly of Victims of Violence sponsored by the Association of Victims of the Middle Magdalena, ASORVIM. Speakers introduced themselves and their work. A priest spoke of the 28 February 1999 massacre. He said victims of the conflict have been accused of being militants and that if participants strengthened the victim's movement they will show that they are citizens, not militants. He cautioned against dividing people along lines of who victimized them but to see every one as a victim of the conflict's violent acts.
The Technical Secretary of ESPACIO spoke and said that the reference to sociopolitical violence on the event banner signifies that social and political exclusion is the general cause of the conflict in Colombia.
27-29 February
Dybvig and Rose participated in a verification mission that also included representatives of local, provincial and national government, the UN, the church and Program for Development and Peace. The communities around Mina Seca, southern Bolivar, spoke extensively about their desires for change and about abuses to their human rights including recent extrajudicial killings, a bombing, military presence in civilian spaces, threats by the Colombian military, and land mining by the FARC.