Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2002 - Colombia

Summary executions and attacks

Assassination of trade union leaders

In August 2002 the report of the defender of the people on the situation of trade union leaders was published, along with a study by the National Trade Union College that clearly indicated that the safety of trade union leaders had deteriorated in 2002.

According to the Trade Union College report, between 1st January and 21st August 2002 116 cases of homicide were recorded in Colombia, against 112 during the same period in 2001. In addition there were 50 death threats, 19 abductions, 17 attacks, 5 disappearances and 19 cases of harassment. In many cases the victims have had to leave the country due to persecution against themselves or their organisation. The impunity enjoyed by the authors encourages acts of violence against trade union leaders. As was the case in 2001, in almost all cases of assassination, investigations have produced no results.

The defender of the people, Eduardo Cifuentes Munoz, condemned the serious violations of the fundamental rights of the workers and trade union leaders committed during the last decade, and made a number of proposals to strengthen the present Programme for the protection of trade union leaders and unionised workers, and for the defence of trade union headquarters.

Considering in particular the meagre results of investigations and in order to combat impunity, the Defender of the People recommended that the national government mobilise adequate resources to set up a special fund to finance criminal investigations into serious violations of the rights of trade union leaders. He also recommended to the members of the judiciary to make it easier for the people to be associated with the Prosecutor in court actions. This would mean that the trade union, a member of which was assassinated, or was victim of an attempt on his life and personal integrity, would be entitled to instruct a barrister to associate himself with the Prosecutor, thereby enabling a trial to take place.

In addition, in December the Human Rights Department of the Central United Organisation of Colombian Workers (CUT) denounced the restrictions imposed on the programme for the protection of trade union leaders and human rights defenders, as evidenced by the budget cuts and the announcement by the Government that the programme would be in a transitional phase until the end of April 2003.

Assassination of Mr. Luis Alfonso Jaramillo Palacios²⁸

On 11th January 2002, Mr. Luis Alfonso Jaramillo Palacios, delegate of the Medellin Section of the Sindicato de Trabajadores y Empleados de Servicios Públicos Autónomos e Instituciones Descentralizadas de Colombia, SINTRAEMSDES-CUT (a public service trade union), was assassinated in Medellín, in the Antioquia Department. The investigation has produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Enoc Samboni²⁹

On 12th January 2002 Mr. Enoc Samboni a leader of the CUT-CAUCA, and leader of the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners, President of the Municipal Council of Santa Rosa (Cauca), was assassinated by the paramilitary in La Chorrera, in the Amazonas Department. Mr. Samboni was protected under the Protection Programme of the Ministry of the Interior and by protective measures provided for him by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organisation of American States (OAS). The enquiry produced no results.

Assassination of Mrs. Maria Ropero³⁰

On 16th January 2002 Mrs. Maria Ropero, former President of the Sindicato de Madres Comunitarias, SINDIMACO-CUT, (community mothers trade union) who had already been the victim of numerous death threats on account of her work in defence of the rights of workers and children, was assassinated in Cucuta, in the Santander Department, by a group of paramilitary who fired at her 13 times as she was on her way home. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Julio Galeano³¹

On 11th February 2002 Mr. Julio Galeano, an defender of the Cali Sindicato de Trabajadores de las Empresas Municipales (SIMTRAEMCALI) (municipal enterprises trade union) was assassinated as he was leaving his home with his wife, who was unharmed. They were approached by men carrying firearms, who stopped them, and then fired on them. Julio Galeano and his wife had taken an active part in the recent occupation of the Municipal Enterprises building in Cali, with the aim of preventing the privatisation by the national government of this municipal agency for the loan of public services in the home. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Juan Montiel and Mr. Emilio Villeras Durán³²

On 7th March 2002, Mr. Juan Montiel and M. Emilio Villeras Durán, employed by the Ceiba and Circasia firms, and members of the Cienega sub-directorate of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria Agropecuaria, SINTRAINAGRO, (agricultural products workers' trade union) in the Magdalena Department, were assassinated. The investigation produced no result.

Assassination of Mr. Eduardo Chinchilla Padilla³³

On 11th March 2002, Mr. Eduardo Chinchilla Padilla, member of the Sindicato de Industria de los Trabajadores de Empresas de Palmas Oleaginosas y Similares, SINTRAPALMA-CUT, (oil products workers' trade union) was assassinated at Puerto Wilches, in the Santander Department. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Rafael Jaimes Torra³⁴

On 20th March 2002, Mr. Rafael Jaimes Torra, treasurer of the Subdirectiva Oleoducto de la Unión Sindical Obrera, USO, (pipelines) of Barrancabermeja, was assassinated in Barrancabermeja as he was leaving his home. His nephew, German Augusto Corzo García, aged 16, was seriously injured and died a few hours later. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Rubén Hurtado³⁵

On 3rd April 2002, Mr. Rubén Hurtado, was assassinated. He was a leader of the popular movement of the Department of the Cauca Valley, and defended the workers of the Cali Municipal Enterprises. Certain popular leaders who opposed the privatisation of public agencies have had to leave the country, on account of the numerous threats received. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Diofanol Sierra Vargas³⁶

On 8th April 2002, Mr. Diofanol Sierra Vargas was assassinated. He was a director of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria de Alimentos – Seccional Barrancabermeja, SINALTRAINAL-CUT, (food industry products) and a member of the Women's Popular Organisation. The trade union leader was forcibly removed from his home and executed by a paramilitary group operating in Barrancabermeja, in the Santander Department. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Oscar Alfonso Jurado³⁷

On 9th April 2002, in Cali, in the Cauca Valley Department, Mr. Oscar Alfonso Jurado, a leader of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria Química de Colombia – Seccional Yumbo, SINTRAQUIM-CUT, (chemical industry) was assassinated by an unidentified individual while waiting for a bus on his way to his office. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Hernán de Jesús Ortiz and Mr. José Robeiro Pineda³⁸

On 12th April 2002, Mr. Hernán de Jesús Ortíz, a member de la National Junta of the CUT, Director of the Federación de Educadores de Colombia, FECODE, (educators), Vice-President of the Caldas United Educators Trade Union Organisation – EDUCAL – an active member of the CUT National Human Rights team, official of the Caldas permanent Human Rights Comittee – CPDH – and Mr. José Robeiro Pineda, former director of the Sindicato de Industria de Trabajadores de La Electricidad de Colombia, SINTRAELECOL-CUT, (electricity) were assassinated at Aranzazú, Caldas Department. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Tito Libio Hernández Ordóñez³⁹

On 16th April 2002, in Pasto, in the Nariño Department, Mr. Tito Libio Hernández Ordóñez, former President of the Subdirectorate Pasto du Sindicato de Trabajadores y Empleados Universitarios de Colombia, SINTRAUNICOL-CUT, (university personnel) community leader of the Liberté de Pasto district, member of the working team of the Frente Social y Político, was assassinated in Nariño university by an armed man. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Froilan Hilario Pelaez Zapata⁴⁰

On 6th May 2002, at Medellín, in the Antioquia Department Mr. Froilan Hilario Pelaez Zapata, a member of the Executive Committee of the Subdirectorate CUT – Antioquia and trade union delegate of the Asociación de Institutores de Antioquia, ADIDA-CUT, (primary school teachers) was assassinated. Armed men fired on him as he was on his way to the school where he taught, at Santa Rosa de Lima. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Eduardo Vasques Jiménez⁴¹

On 4th June 2002, Mr. Eduardo Vasques Jiménez, Treasurer of the Magdalena Section of the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Electricidad de Colombia, SINTRAELECOL-CUT, (electricity) was assassinated on the market place at Santa Marta, in the Magdalena Department, by men on motor-cycles who shot him three times in the head. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Elias Mejia Villareal⁴²

On 12th June 2002, Mr. Elias Mejia Villareal, director of the Sindicato de Industria de los Trabajadores de Empresas de Palmas Oleaginosas y Similares, SINTRAPALMA-CUT, (oil products) was assassinated at Puerto Wilches, in the Santander Department, by men who forced their way into his home and shot him several times. SINTRAPALMA had organised a strike on 11th March 2002, which had triggered a wave of persecutions and threats, and already two assassinations. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Cesar Blanco Moreno⁴³

On 17th June 2002, Mr. Cesar Blanco Moreno, leader for Bucaramanga of the Unión Sindical Obrera de la Industria del Petróleo, USO-CUT, (oil industry), was assassinated in Bucaramanga. Cesar Blanco had received death threats from the AUC paramilitary forces and had been the victim of an attempt on his life on 18th May 1998 in which he had suffered very serious injury. The assassination occurred at a time when the USO was protesting against pension and labour reforms. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Luis Enrique Coiran⁴⁴

On 20th June 2002, Mr. Luis Enrique Coiran, President for Tame of the Asociación Nacional de Trabajadores y Empleados de Hospitales, Clínicas, Consultorios y Entidades Dedicadas a Procurar La Salud de la Comunidad, ANTHOC-CUT, (health services) was assassinated in Tame, in the Arauca Department. Luis Enrique Coiran was accompanied by his eldest son and another director of the trade union. He had received threats since the general strike in Tame in February 2002 and during the various human rights actions he had carried out. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Helio Rodríguez Ruiz⁴⁵

On 20th June 2002, Mr. Helio Rodríguez Ruiz, director of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria Gastronómica, Hotelera y Similares, HOCAR-CUT, (hotels, catering) was assassinated in Barrancabermeja on his way to work. He was stopped by armed men who fired on him three times. The investigation produced no result.

Assassination of Mr. Manuel Antonio Fuertes Arévalo⁴⁶

On 29th June 2002, in the Municipality of Túquerres, in the Nariño Department, Mr. Manuel Antonio Fuertes Arévalo, former Vice-President of the Tuquerres sub-directorate of the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Electricidad de Colombia, SINTRAELECOL-CUT (electricity), was assassinated. The crime was committed by the paramilitary, who fired on him seven times at his home, in the presence of his family. Mr. Fuertes Arévalo had received death threats, which is why he had given up his trade union job, although he still did community work. The investigation produced no result.

Assassination of Mr. José Gonzales Barros⁴⁷

On 2nd July 2002, in the Sabanagrande Municipality, in the Atlántico Department, Mr. José Gonzales Barros, an activist of the Sindicato de Trabajadores Oficiales y Empleados Públicos del Municipio de Sabanagrande, SINTRAOPUSA-CUT (municipal services), was assassinated. Mr. González Barros was killed by two unidentified persons while on his way from his home to his office. The investigation produced no result.

Assassination of Mr. Carlos Alberto Barragán Medina⁴⁸

On 20th July 2002, Mr. Carlos Alberto Barragán Medina, trade union leader of the Association of Educators of the Tame Municipality, Arauca Department, was assassinated in front of his home in the Tame Municipality. Mr. Barragán was intercepted by two hooded men on motor cycles, dressed in black. After firing on him, they escaped through the Naranjitos military base. The investigation produced no result.

Assassination of Mr. Rodrigo Gamboa Coy⁴⁹

On 31st July 2002, at Valledupar, in the Cesar Department, Mr. Rodrigo Gamboa Coy, President of the Cesar region of the Incora Workers Trade Union, SINTRADIN-CUT, was assassinated. Mr. Rodrigo Gamboa had worked for over 20 years with small farmers and indigenous communities, victims of the agrarian reforms. He was also active in defending trade union freedoms. The investigation produced no result.

Assassination of Mr. Cesar Gomez⁵⁰

On 5th September 2002, Mr. Cesar Gomez, President for Pamplona of the Sindicato de Trabajadores y Empleados Universitarios de Colombia, SINTRAUNICOL-CUT, (university personnel) was assassinated in the Pamplona Municipality, in the North Santander Department. The assassination took place as Mr. Gomez was arriving home accompanied by his wife. They were intercepted by two unknown individuals who fired on them eight times, seriously injuring his wife. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Oscar de Jesús Payares⁵¹

On 6th September 2002, Mr. Oscar de Jesús Payares was assassinated in Barranquilla, in the Atlántico Department He was a member of the Asociación de Educadores del Atlántico, ADEA-FECODE-CUT (educators), and had undertaken a number of community actions with Mr. Adolfo de Jesús Múnera, who was assassinated on 31th August 2002. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. José Fernando Mena Alvares⁵²

On 10th October 2002, in the Palermo Municipality, in the Magdalena Department, Mr. José Fernando Mena Alvares, a member of the Magdalena educators' trade union, EDUMAG-FECODE CUT, was assassinated. Mr. Mena Alvares had received threats and had lodged a complaint to the Administrative Security Department, DAS. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Carlos Peralta⁵³

On 1st November 2002, in Riohacha, in the Guajira Department, Mr. Carlos Peralta, prosecutor in the Guajira section of the Sena National Workers Trade Union, SINDESENA, was assassinated. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Alberto Correa⁵⁴

On 19th November 2002, in Cartago, in the Valley Department, Mr Alberto Correa, a leader of SITTELECOM (Union of Telecommunications Workers) was assassinated. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of representatives of civil society

Assassination of a member of ASPROVIVIR⁵⁵

On 5th February 2002, Mr. Luis Castro, active member of the Association of the "de facto occupants" of La Reliquia (ASPROVIVIR), and involved in the fight against impunity concerning the assassination in August 2001 of Mr. Evert Ensizo Sandoval (member of the Steering Committee of the Meta Assembly for Peace) was assassinated at Villavicencio, in the Meta Department. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of the co-founder of the Fundación Jurídica Colombiana⁵⁶

On 14th February 2002, Mrs. María del Carmen Florez, co-founder of the Colombian Legal Foundation (Fundación Jurídica Colombiana) was assassinated near the Mutata Municipality. At the time of her abduction and assassination, she was working on the case of the forced disappearance of Alcides Torres Arias, before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Mrs. Florez was in the process of preparing for a hearing in view of the March session of the Commission. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of an indigenous leader⁵⁷

On 9th April 2002, in the indigenous commune of Sipirra, at Riosucio, the indigenous leader, Mrs. María Fabiola Largo Cano, was assassinated by two paid killers, while attending an event at the School of Public Administration, (Escuela de Administración Pública – ESAP). The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of the President of the Small Farmers Association Los Yarumos⁵⁸

On 18th May, in the Tulúa Municipality, in the centre of the Cauca Valley, Mr. Andrés Robledo, President of the Peasant Association of the "Los Yarunos" base, was assassinated. Since November 2000, the ICHR had asked that protective measures be taken for the displaced communities of Buga and Tulua. Since September 2001, Mr. Andrés Robledo was included in the Ministry of the Interior Programme for the Protection of Social and Trade Union Leaders and Human Rights Defenders, given the numerous threats he had received. Mr. Robledo was known for having denounced corruption of public officials, the displacement of over 6,000 peasants due to violence, and the assassination and disappearance of 200 persons during the last three years. On several occasions he had received death threats from the Army paramilitaries, and for over three years he had been in constant contact with the Vice-President of the Republic, with a secret phone number for reaching her in case of aggression. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of the brother of a member of ASFADDES⁵⁹

On 6th June 2002, Mr. Adrian Monsalve Pulgarin, in Medellín, Antioquia, received six shots in the chest. Adrian was the brother of Mrs. Claudia Monsalve Pulgarin, a member of the Association of the families of detained-disappeared persons. (Asociación de Familiares de detenidos y Desaparecidos – ASFADDES), who had disappeared on 6th October 2000. The assassination of Mr. Monsalve Pulgarin may have been due to his family ties. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Dr. Efraín Varela Noriega⁶⁰

On 28th June 2002, Dr. Efraín Varela Noriega, director of radio Meridiana 70 and member of the Departmental Peace Commission (Comisión departamental de Paz) was assassinated as he was leaving the national university at Arauca. Mr. Valera Noriega had received threats from the paramilitary. Four members of the Permanent Committee for Human Rights (Comité Permanente por los Derechos Humanos) left the Department, having received numerous threats. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of a social worker⁶¹

On 14th July 2002, Sister Marta Inès Véles Serna, a social worker, was assassinated in Mogotes, Santander. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of a social leader⁶²

On 27th June 2002, members of the United self-defence Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia – AUC), assassinated Mr. Orlando Claro Santiago, a social leader and peace activist, at Aguachica, in the Cesar Department. He took part in national and regional efforts towards peace, in particular in the Permanent Assembly for Peace, and the Magdalena Medio Programme for Development and Peace (Asamblea Permanente por la Paz y el Programa de Desarrollo y Paz del Magdalena Medio). He was the victim of forced displacement on three occasions during the 1990s and at the beginning of 2000. At the time of his assassination, Mr. Claro Santiago was in a forced displacement situation in the city of Bucaramanga, fleeing from the threats of the paramilitary. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Ernesto Galeano Ortiz⁶³

On 30th August 2002 Mr. Ernesto Galeano Ortiz was assassinated at his office in the Landázuri Municipality, in the Santander Department. He was a lawyer, defender of small farmers and small landowners (parceleros). The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Oswal Moreno Ibague⁶⁴

On 3rd September 2002, at Villavicencio, in the Meta Department, Mr. Oswal Moreno Ibague was assassinated. He was responsible for the Alto Ariari Human Rights Committee, and President of the Colombian Association for Social Assistance in Meta (Asociación Colombiana para la Asistencia Social de Meta – ASCODAS). Mr. Moreno Ibague was renowned for his considerable research into violations of the rights of the civilian populations in the Alto Ariari region (assassinations, disappearances) on the part of members of the Colombian army. The investigation produced no results.

Assassination of Mr. Jose Rusbell Lara⁶⁵

On 8th November 2002, in Tame, in the Arauca Department, Mr. Jose Rusbell Lara, regional director of the "Joel Sierra" Human Rights Committee, was assassinated. Mr. Jose Rusbell Lara had already received death threats from the paramilitary, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) had asked the Colombian government to take measures to protect him, along with other human rights defenders in the Arauca Department.

Disappearances/Abductions

Disappearance of an activist of SIMTRAEMSDES⁶⁶

On 5th January 2002, Mr. Leonardo Avendaño, a trade union activist in the Yondo section, Antioquia Department, of the Sindicato de Trabajadores y Empleados de Servicios Públicos Autónomos e Institutos Descentralizados de Colombia, SIMTRAEMSDES, (public services), disappeared. This took place on the road from the Puerto Berrío Municipality to the Yondo Municipality.

Abduction of a SUO leader⁶⁷

On 25th February Mr. Gilberto Torres Martinez, a trade union leader belonging to the Subdirectiva Unica de Oleoducto (pipelines) of the Workers' Trade Union (Unión Sindical Obrera – USO), was abducted as he was driving in a company vehicle (Ecopetrol) towards his home on the road to Monterrey Municipality. He was intercepted by paramilitaries who took him to an unknown destination. In December 2001, the ICHR had requested the Colombian government to take protective measures for the members of the union.

On 4th March, in a press release, the Casarne Peasant Self-Defence Forces (Autodefensas Campesinas del Casarne – ACC) admitted that they were holding Mr. Gilberto Torres Martinez, and announced that he would face a paramilitary trial.⁶⁸

Abduction of a CUT leader⁶⁹

On 5th April 2002 Mr. Arroi Vasquez Gaetano, popular leader and activist of the Trade Union of the Workers and Employees of the Department, CUT, was abducted on his way from his place of work in the Abjorral Municipality to Medellin in the Antioquia Department.

Attempted abduction of the daughter of the President of SINALTRAINAL⁷⁰

On 18th June 2002 three men attempted to abduct the four-year-old daughter of Mr. William Mendoza, President of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria de Alimentos, SINALTRAINAL, (food industry), Barrancabermeja section, and a member of the managing junta of the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (Corporación regional para la defensa de los Derechos Humanos – CREDHOS), while she was with her mother in one of the city parks. Two policemen were present, which obliged the aggressors to release the little girl. Mr. William Mendoza is at present under protection at the request of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Abduction of Mrs Nelsy Gabriela Cuesta Córdoba⁷¹

On 4th April 2002, in the Yondo Municipality, Antioquia, in the area controlled by the paramilitary, Mrs Nelsy Gabriela Cuesta Córdoba, President of the Communal Action Junta of Puerto Matilde, an association affiliated to the Peasant Association of the Rio Cimitarra Valley, was abducted. Mrs. Cuesta was engaged in co-ordinating projects such as the building of an aqueduct, the promotion of rural housing and a community village, as well as other activities in favour of the communities in the region.

Disappearance of a member of FENSUAGRO⁷²

On 22nd October Mr. Víctor Manuel Jiménez Fruto, Vice-President of the Sindicato de Trabajadores Agrícolas del Departamento de Atlántico, SINTRAGRICOLAS-FENSUAGRO-CUT, (farmers), disappeared from Pondera, Atántico Department.

Disappearance of Archbishop Jorge Jiménez and Father Desiderio Orjuela⁷³

On 11th November 2002 the archbishop of Zipaquirá, President of the Latin-American Episcopal Conference, Mr. Jorge Jimenez and Father Desiderio Orjuela were abducted near Bogotá. They were released on 14th November 2002, after a military operation.

Disappearance of Augusto de Jesús Palacio Restrepo⁷⁴

On 17th December 2002, Mr. Augusto de Jesús Palacio Restrepo, a leader of the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria del Vidrio de Colombia, SINRAVIDRICOL (glass industry), was on his way from Medellín to Bogotá, when he was abducted by non-identified men.

Arbitrary arrests

Arbitrary arrest of the President of ACA⁷⁵

On 13th March 2002, Mr. Hugo Alberto Peña Camargo, President of the Small Farmers Association of Arauca (Asociación Campesina de Arauca – ACA) and a teacher at the el Tigre a Fortul school, was travelling by public transport in the Arauca Department, when he was arrested without a warrant by members of the Colombian army. No official reason is known for the arrest. It should be emphasised that the ACA, and in particular the President, was co-ordinating a regional workshop for peasants and displaced persons that was to take place in Arauca. The aim of the workshop was to take stock of the situation of the displaced peasants in the region, in order to prepare an international meeting on the subject for proposing solutions. Apparently Mr. Pela Carmago is being held on a military base near the Venezuelan frontier, and is accused of being a member of the national liberation army (Ejercito de Liberación Nacional – ELN).

Arbitrary arrest of Mr. Raul Herrera⁷⁶

Since 13th September 2002, trade union leader Mr. Raul Herrera has been detained by the army in the Fusagasuga Municipality, in the Cundinamarca Department. Mr. Herrera was arrested for having spoken in favour of the national strike on 16th September, which had been called by the small farmers' organisations and the workers' trade unions in order to lodge a peaceful protest against the declaration of a state of emergency.

Arbitrary arrest of Mr. Rubel Robles⁷⁷

On 15th September 2002, in the Chalan Municipality, Sucre Department, the army arrested Mr. Rubel Robles, Secretary general of the Sucre Departmental Farmers' Organisation, along with international delegates of the Spanish NGO, Soldepaz Pachakutti, Mrs. Ana María Andera Ablanedo and Mr. Danuel Bustos Gitierrez, who were then expelled from the country.

Arbitrary arrest of Mr. Mauricio Rubiano⁷⁸

On 16th September, in Bogotá, Mr. Mauricio Rubiano, secretary for human rights of the youth department of the CUT, was arrested. After several transfers, and under pressure from various social bodies, he was released pending his trial.

Arbitrary arrest of members of a humanitarian commission⁷⁹

On 20th September 2002, in the Santander de Quilichao Municipality, in the Cauca Department, the army and national police detained for 14 hours several trade union leaders and human rights defenders belonging to a humanitarian commission, which had brought food aid from Cali for the local peasants and indigenous population. The aim was to meet with the organisations in the Department in order to convey humanitarian assistance (food, health and medical necessities, and water) to the peasants participating in the national agrarian strike in Cabildo La Maria, Piendamo.

Among the persons arrested were:

• Dr. María Isabel Lenis – defender, regional delegate of the Cauca Valley section
• Mr. Otoniel Ramírez – President of the Cut Subdirectorate – Cauca Valley
• Mrs. Berenice Celeita – President of Nomadesc (a Human Rights NGO, the Association for social research and action)
• Mr. Oscar Figueroa and Mr. Ángel Tovar – directors of the Cali trade union of workers of municipal enterprises – Sintraemcali.

Arbitrary arrest of members of the Christian Teams in Action for Peace⁸⁰

On 9th October 2002, as they had just finished carrying out a humanitarian aid mission at Yondo (Antioquia Department), with members of the Small Farmers' Association of the Rio Cimitarra Valley, Mr. Benjamin David Horst (an American citizen) and Mrs. Martens Lisa Daw (a Canadian citizen), members of the Christian Teams in Action for Peace, were arrested. The Colombian Government expelled Benjamin David Horst, and released Martens Lisa Daw. The reason given was that they did not have a visa allowing them to engage in humanitarian activities.

Arbitrary arrest of the President of the SINDAGRICULTORES⁸¹

Since 30th October, Mr. Telberto Gonzalez, President of the Sucre departmental Trade Union, SINDAGRICULTORES, has been detained. Six soldiers of the Bafin de Corsal battalion drove up in a red van, and without any arrest warrant, took Mr. Gonzalez away. Furthermore, on 20th September Mr. Gonzalez's home had been searched. He is still held in isolation, and his whereabouts are unknown.

Arrests of several of trade union leaders and defenders⁸²

On 12th and 13th November and a few days later, 42 persons were arrested in Saravena, among whom were: Mr. Abimelec Gómez Becerra, departmental director of the Asociación Nacional de Trabajadores y Servidores Públicos de la Salud, ANTHOC (health services), Mr. Aldemar Jiménez Medina, CUT departmental director for Asedar, Mr. Bernardo José Arguello Santo, director of Fedejuntas, Mrs Dora Lizcano, member of ANTHOC, Mr. Eliécer León, member of SIDEMS, Mrs Fidelia Villamizar, director of the B. Pinzon Junta for Communal Action, Mr. Ilmer Ernesto Bejarano Martínez, Vice-President of the Asociación Juvenil y Estudiantil Regional, ASOJER (youth association), Mr. Ismael Jaimes Camargo, director of Asocomunal Arauquita, Mr. Jesús Martín Porras Arraque, member of SINDICONS (construction workers) and of the Prado Junta for Communal Action. Many of them, like the ones mentioned above, were engaged in trade union activities or the defence of Human Rights. They are presently detained in the Buen Pastor prison and the Modelo prison in Bogotá.

Arrest of members of the "Women's Independence Association" ⁸³

On 12th November 2002 the following persons were arrested in Medellin, in the Antioquia Department: Mrs. María del Socorro Mosquera and Mrs. Mery del Socorro Naranjo, of the Women's Independence Association (Asociacion de Mujeres de las Independencias – AMI), an organisation dedicated to the promotion of the rights of women, and which strives to improve their quality of life through development programmes providing employment in the commune 13 of Medellin. Mrs Teresa Yarce, prosecutor of the district Communal Action Junta, was also arrested on the same day. Members of the police and the army, accompanied by a child wearing a hood, and dressed in a military uniform, entered the homes of the three women. After the masked child had pointed a finger at them, the police arrested them, without any arrest warrant, and without any representative of the Fiscal authority being present.

Four days before this arbitrary arrest, on 8th November 2002, Mery del Socoro Naranjo and Teresa Yarre had denounced to the secretary of the municipal government, Mr. Jorge Leon Sanchez, a series of Human Rights violations committed in the commune 13, since the occupation of the zone by the military and the police on 16th October 2002. The three women had denounced, inter alia, cases of homicide committed by paramilitary groups. The authorities, basing themselves on statements made by masked persons, accuse the leaders of working hand in hand with guerrilla groups.

The three women were released on 21st November, in the afternoon. However, the fact of having been accused of working with the guerrillas seriously endangers their life and personal integrity.

Arbitrary arrest of a USO leader⁸⁴

On 18th December 2002, Mr. Nicodemo Luna, a leader of the Workers' Trade Union (USO), was in the south shopping centre in Cali when he was arrested by several men in plain clothes, who said they were Gaula officials. They took him to brigade n° 3 in Cali.

Arrest of a member of the "Movement for Life"⁸⁵

On 11th December 2002 Mr Juan Carlos Celis was arrested by security agents in his home in the Normandie district of Bogotá. Mr. Celis is a non violence activist and a member of "Movement for life". He works with children, adolescents, and mothers bringing up a family alone with a low income. Several NGOs with which Mr. Celis has worked denounced his arrest, which they consider to be arbitrary, and part of a witch-hunt waged against organisations and individuals who strive to promote peace and who are presented to public opinion as being supporters of terrorist groups.

Threats/Harassment/Attacks

Threats against trade union leaders

Threats against SINDINALCH-CUT activists⁸⁶

On 3rd January 2002 Mr. Daniel Orlando Gutierrez Ramos, co-ordinator of the Human Rights department of the National Union of Drivers in Colombia (SINDINALCH-CUT) was approached by a private car from which shots were fired. The car then sped away.

Threats against members of SINTRAMUNICIPIO⁸⁷

On 13th February 2002 Mr. Albeiro Forero, trade union leader of the Union of Municipal Workers of Cartago (SINTRAMUNICIPIO) was approached by a person intending to kill him, but whose gun refused to function. This was the second time he survived an attack.

Threats against members of SINTRAEMSDES-CUT⁸⁸

On 5th January 2002, Mr. Carlos Alberto Flores Loaiza, a member of the national management of the Sindicato de Trabajadores y Empleados de Servicios Públicos e Institutos Descentralizados de Colombia, SINTRAEMSDES-CUT, (public services) received telephone threats on his son's telephone. He was also warned that a criminal action would probably soon be committed against him.

On 5th January 2002, Mr. José Homer Moreno Valencia, a member of the management of the Section of Palmira of SINTRAEMSDES-CUT received written death threats in the form of "sufragio" (condolence cards that one sends to families following the decease of one of their members).

Threats against the President of SINTRAEMCALI-CUT⁸⁹

On 19th February 2002, Mr. Luis Hernández Monrroy, President of the Cali Union of Municipal Enterprises (SINTRAEMCALI-CUT), received threats, and is constantly followed.

Attack against Mr. Jesús Antonio González Luna⁹⁰

On 11th May 2002 the workers' march in the city of Santiago de Cali, in the Cauca Valley Department, was brutally put down, injuring Mr. Jesús Antonio González Luna, a member of the CUT national Executive Committee, and director of the Human Rights department, affiliated to the Sindicato nacional de trabajadores universitarios, SINTRAUNICOL-CUT (academics).

Threats against the President of USO⁹¹

In May 2002 Mr. Hernando Hernández Prado, President of the Trade Union of Oil Industry Workers (USO) has been receiving serious threats. On 30th and 31st May he received a communication at his Bogotá home and a threatening letter at his Trade Union office, also in Bogotá. In both cases he was threatened with death, and his family likewise, in Bucaramanga, where they live. He also received numerous calls on his mobile phone, again threatening him with death. These threats were made after the workers had approved, in their national assembly, the strike against the labour and pensions reforms the government had presented.

Attack against trade union offices⁹²

On 8th July, in Bogotá, the national section of the Colombian Union of Electricity Workers – SINTRAELECOL-CUT, was the victim of an attack.

Unidentified persons armed with firearms fired at the windows, which fortunately were bullet-proof. Mr. Rodrigo Acevedo, in charge of the Human Rights secretariat of the Union, was on the premises at the time of the attack.

Attack against the trade union leader Omar Romero Diaz⁹³

On 13th August 2002, in Cali, in the Cauca Valley Department, the trade union leader Mr. Omar Romero Diaz was the victim of an attack. Mr. Omar Romero Diaz is in charge of legal affairs, and is a member of the Human Rights collective of the Sindicato Unitario de Trabajadores de la Industria de Materiales para Construcción, SUTIMAC-CUT, (construction).

Threats against the Risaralda Union of Educators (SER)⁹⁴

On 21st August 2002, the Risaralda Union of Educators (SER) received by fax a pamphlet signed by the "Bloque Cacique Calarcá "of the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC), requesting them "to leave the region within a maximum of 15 days, failing which their units would take action in accordance with the decisions of their General Staff". The persons threatened are;

• Diego Osorio, President of the Section of the United Union of Workers, CUT.
• Carlos Valencia, Prosecutor of the Executive Junta of the CUT Section.
• Aide Trujillo, President of the Risaralda Union of Educators, SER.
• Rodrigo López, Vice-President of the SER.
• Vicente Villada, Prosecutor of the SER Executive Junta.
• Gerardo Santibáñez, Secretary General of the Union of Public Enterprise Workers SINTRAEMDES.
• Guillermo Cardona, President of the Risaralda Section of the CPDH.
• Domingo Taborda, Vice-President of the Risaralda Section of the CPDH.
• Adriana González, Secretary General of the Risaralda Section of the CPDH and member of the National Executive Junta of the "Eduardo Umaña Mendoza" Association of Defending Barristers.
• María Teresa Henao, of the Risaralda Section of the CPDH.
• Gustavo Marín, of the Risaralda Section of the CPDH.
• Dover Hoyos, of the Risaralda Section of the CPDH.
• Hernando Aguirre, of the Risaralda Section of the CPDH.

The threats followed a long period of denunciations made by the Human Rights organisations against the action of paramilitary groups in the Department, and in the whole of the coffee-producing region. At the same time the organisations demanded that the national, regional and local authorities should disband the paramilitary groups, that investigations should be initiated, and that they be brought to justice.

Threats against the former director of the CUT "organisation" Department⁹⁵

On 9th September 2002, in Bogotá, in the Cundinamarca Department, Mr. Domingo Rafael Tovar Arrieta, former director of the CUT "organisation" Department and currently Director of the "Human Rights Department", received telephone death threats at his office.

Threats against the President of FEDECALDAS⁹⁶

On 17th September 2002, at Manizales, in the Caldas Department, Mr. Henry Ocampo, President of the Caldas Workers' Federation, FEDECALDAS, and secretary of the Caldas CUT Subdirectorate, was accosted by two unknown individuals, who reiterated death threats.

Threats against the Cartagena section of the National Union of Food Industry Workers⁹⁷

On 19th September 2002 at Cartagena, in the Bolivar Department, the Cartagena section of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria de Alimentos, SINALTRAINAL (food industry), received telephone death threats from the AUC.

Attack against a member of ADEM-CUT⁹⁸

On 7th October 2002 at Medellin, in the Antioquia Department, Mr. Jorge Humberto Marin Henao, President of the Association of Employees of the Medellin Municipality, ADEM-CUT, was the victim of an attack. For two months he had been the victim of telephone threats received through trade union channels, messages in which he was warned that he would be put on trial. On 2nd October he was given 20 days to leave the city. On 9th October a man got into the ADEM premises, and after having telling him that the threats were not empty threats, hit him on the head with a revolver.

Attack against members of the ADEA-FECODE-CUT⁹⁹

On 10th October 2002, in Barranquilla, in the Atlantico Department, Mr. Eduardo José Iglesias and Mr. José Mena Alvarez, defenders of the Atlantico Association of Educators ADEA-FECODE-CUT, teachers in a school in Palermo, were the victims of an attack.

Threats of an attack against a member of the SINTRAMIENERGETICA-CUT¹⁰⁰

On 11th October 2002 in Santa Marta, in the Magdalena Department, Mr. Juan Maria Aguas Romero, national education secretary of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria Minera y energética, SINTRAMIENERGETICA-CUT, (mining industry and energy) received a warning from the Administrative Security Department (DAS) of the possibility of an attempt on his life.

Threats against members of SINTRAUNICOL¹⁰¹

On 16th October 2002, in Ibagué, in the Tolima Department, the following persons were threatened by the Bloque Tolima paramilitary, along with members of their families: members of the Executive Junta of the Sindicato de Trabajadores y Empleados Universitarios de Colombia, SINTRAUNICOL-CUT, (academics), Tolima section, specifically Mr. Ever Tique Giron, education secretary, Mr. Eduardo Camacho Rugeles, health secretary and member of the Human Rights Commission, Mr. Pedro Edgar Galeano Olaya, Co-operative Affairs secretary.

Threats against the prosecutor of the Cauca CUT Subdirectorate¹⁰²

On 17th October 2002, in Popayán, in the Cauca Department, Mr. Oscar Alirio Sanchez, prosecutor of the Cauca CUT Subdirectorate, received death threats from the paramilitary on his mobile phone.

Threats against Mr. Cristobal Guamanga¹⁰³

On 17th October, Mr. Cristobal Guamanga, human rights defender and a member of the Sindicato de Pequeños y Medianos agricultores de Cauca, SIMPEAGRIC (farmers), received threats from an individual on a motor-cycle, who said that he was "after him", and that he would not live for long. Threatening letters were also left at his home.

Threats against members of the SINPEAGRICUN¹⁰⁴

On 22nd October 2002 the following were declared to be military targets by the paramilitary: Misters Gerardo González, Mario A. Moreno, Carlos Dimaté, Antonio and Demetrio Gerrero, Marcos Moreno, Diógenes Correa. All are members of SINPEAGRICUN, a subsidiary of FENSUAGRO.

Threats against members of the SINTRAUNICOL-CUT¹⁰⁵

On 23rd October 2002, in Cali, in the Cauca Valley Department, Mr. Pedro Pablo Berne and Mr. Milciades Sánchez, members of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores y Empleados Universitarios de Colombia, SINTRAUNICOL-CUT, (academics) were harassed by members of the police.

Threats against members of the UNEB-CUT¹⁰⁶

On 29th October 2002, in Bogota, Mr. Nicolas Acevedo Cuartas, President of the Apartado section, received telephone death threats that reached him at the national headquarters of the Unión Nacional de Empleados Bancarios, UNEB-CUT (bank employees).

Threats against NGOs

Threats against members of ANDAS¹⁰⁷

Several members of the National Association of Solidarity Aid (Asociación Nacional de Ayuda Solidaria – ANDAS), an organisation that provides aid to populations displaced owing to the conflict, have been subjected to various acts of intimidation and threats throughout the year. The President, Mrs. Gloria Mansilla, has had to leave the country, and other national leaders, such as Mr. Teófilo Rangel and Mr. Camilo Acevedo, have constantly received death threats from the paramilitary.

On 6th December 2002 members of the security department, of the army and of the Prosecutor's department searched the homes of several human rights defenders, who were later arrested. Among them were Mr. Julio Avella, a member of the executive Junta of ANDAS at Bucaramanga, of the Co-ordinating Committee Colombia-Europe-United States, and a defender of political prisoners, and Mr. Alvaro Tapias, President of the Bucaramanga ANDAS section. They had both been threatened in June 2002 by the AUC and invited to leave the region. They were probably denounced by persons who accused them to be members of the guerilla who are part of the information network set up by the President since he came to power.

The other persons detained are representatives of displaced persons' organisations: Mr. Elvis Antonio Niño, Mr. Alvaro Rivera and Mr. Saul Dala Alvarez.

Threats against OFP members¹⁰⁸

Among the threats received by members of human rights organisations a special reference should be made to the multiple threats addressed to the Popular Women's Organisation (Organización Femenina Popular – OFP) in Barrancabermeja, and to its members.¹⁰⁹ Mrs. Patricia Ramírez, a member of the OFP co-ordinating team, was held illegally for two hours on 19th January.

On 15th November 2002 Mrs. Jackeline Rojas, OFP co-ordinator for the Cantagallo Municipality in the Bolívar Department, was declared "military objective" by the paramilitary groups, which, with the support of the army, operate in the area. She was informed by a Cantagallo public official.

Threats against the director of the CREDHOS¹¹⁰

Members of the regional Corporation for Human Rights (Corporación Regional para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos – CREDHOS), have been systematically subjected to surveillance, to being declared a military objective, to forced displacement, to assassinations or attempts to put them on trial by government officials and paramilitary groups. The situation has become worse, despite the fact that the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) has asked the Colombian Government to take protective action for them.

On 20th February, during a public meeting in Barrancabermeja organised by the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC), Mr. Francisco Campos, director of the CREDHOS, was designated as being a military target. Their aim is to stifle the constant denunciations by the CREDHOS of the systematic violations committed by the paramilitary groups in Barrancabermeja and in the Magdalena Medio region against the civilian population, the non governmental organisations (NGOs) and the human rights defenders.

The members of the CREDHOS were informed by a paramilitary group supported by the AUC of their intention to assassinate Mr. Pablo Javier Arenales, a member of the CREDHOS junta, and Mr. Miguel Cifuentes, a member of the junta of the Peasant Association of the Río Cimitarra Valley (ACVC), and also a member of the CREDHOS.

Threats against members of the CAJAR¹¹¹

On 20th February Mr. Luis Guillermo Pérez Casas, a lawyer member of the "José Alvear Restrepo" Lawyers' Collective (Colectivo de Abogados, José Alvear Restrepo – CAJAR), lodged a complaint, in order to be associated with the criminal proceedings, in connection with the 15th December 2000 attack against Mr. Wilson Borja, President of the National Federation of Government Employees (Fenaltrase) and a member of the Peace Commission between the National government and the ELN. The purpose of the complaint was to oblige the National Public Prosecutor to initiate a criminal investigation against Generals Jorge Enrique Mora Rangel and Reinaldo Castellanos Trujillo concerning their possible implication in the attack. Owing to the procedure he has initiated, Mr. Pérez Casas received numerous death threats, and has had to leave the country.

From 21st May 2002 onwards, a coloured poster written by an organisation of self-styled "legal victims" was circulated in a number of public institutions. The tract accused in particular the Lawyers' collective, the representative of the social front and political Chamber, Wilson Borja, and the official of the General National fiscal body, to be acting as protectors of the ELN guerrillas, and of wanting to unjustly condemn Major César Alonso Maldonado, implicated in the criminal attack on the trade union leader Wilson Borja.

During July 2002 Mrs. Natalia Hidalgo, assistant to the lawyer of the Collective who is dealing with the case of the attempted assassination of the trade union official Wilson Borja, has been subjected on several occasions to acts of intimidation over the telephone.

After having taken part in the hearings in the Pueblorrico and OFP cases before the IACHR in Washington on 5th and 6th March, Mr. Pedro Mahecha, a CAJAR lawyer, was subjected to acts of intimidation. On 9th March 2002, in Bogotá, a taxi parked next to the van he generally uses, and which was on the parking lot attached to the residence where some friends of his lived. Around 9 p.m. the janitor of the residence building went up to a car and asked the occupants, two women and a man, if they belonged to the residence. Without leaving the vehicle, the driver pulled out an automatic rifle, ready to fire. Just in time the two women prevented him from firing, and the car drove off.

Mr. Javier Alejandro Acebedo, a CAJAR lawyer, was followed on 19th November by a van, and during November by mopeds without number plates.

On 14th November a CAJAR lawyer, Mrs. Diana Milena Murcia, received an anonymous e-mail on her personal account, in which, inter alia, appeared the sentence "I hope you will take this message seriously as being a warning signal, so that you are careful about what you say". The Collective's software was also manipulated so that when messages were printed, instead of the name of the Collective, the words "Irish2" appeared, referring to the defence of an Irish prisoner in a criminal case. The homes of some of the lawyers of the Collective are also under surveillance.

During the 16th October 2002 hearings relating to protective measures, the ICHR was informed of the situation of the members of the lawyers' Collective, and of Colonel Hernán Orozco Castro. The Commission expressed concern over the fact that human rights defenders were still appearing in the reports of the secret services, and that the Colombian Government had supplied no explanation of those reports.

Threats against the SEMBRAR Corporation¹¹²

The members of the Community Professional Services Corporation (Corporación Servicios Profesionales Comunitarios – SEMBRAR) are subjected to constant harassment. On 26th March 2002 Mrs. Diana Herrera was followed by three men in the Bogotá city centre.

On the same day, a car drove up and parked outside the Sembrar offices. When members of Sembrar were preparing to leave the building, the occupants of the car turned on the inside lights, and switched on the engine. The members of SEMBRAR consequently asked a trade union leader who enjoyed Ministry of the Interior protection to come and fetch them. His arrival under escort made the mysterious car drive away fast.

On 27th March Mr. Alexander Herrera was photographed by a man who then started to follow him wherever he went. The Corporation member therefore decided to alert some policemen. The individual was arrested, and his photographic film placed in the hands of the competent authorities, for enquiry purposes.

Furthermore all the members of the team constantly receive calls on their mobile phones from unknown numbers, during which persons who are members of the armed forces are mentioned.

On 26th September 2002, two unidentified men entered the offices of the Defensoría del Pueblo Regional de Valle del Cauca (Defender of the regional People of Cauca Valley), insisting on being told the whereabouts of Mrs. Martha Lucía Rentaría,¹¹³ a member of the regional bureau of the SEMBRAR Corporation. Mrs. Rentaría is an activist in the Jamundi Municipality. She accompanies displaced persons to the office of the regional Defender of the People of the Cauca Valley Department, helping them to explain their situation.

Not getting an answer from the people at the reception, the two men entered the office of one of the employees, saying in a menacing tone "Not to worry, we shall find her, wherever she is, and we shall do so today". Mrs. Lucía Rentaria was responsible for denouncing publicly certain very important cases of homicide, of "disappearances" and displacements. Owing to her activities she had already been the victim of an attempted assassination on 29th September 2000.

Since May 2001, the Corporation had received numerous threats, by telephone but also in writing, announcing the forthcoming death of several members of the SEMBRAR working team. The homes of the members of the team are under surveillance. In view of these constant threats to SEMBRAR, on 5th October the Inter-American Commission on human rights granted protective measures to the organisation. The Colombian Government however has not taken the necessary steps to guarantee the life and physical integrity of the members of the Corporation, nor has it encouraged recognition of the work it is doing for the defence and the promotion of human rights. In view of the disturbing nature of the acts of intimidation against Mrs. Rentaría, at the end of 2002, the SEMBRAR Corporation contemplated asking the Inter-American Commission for human rights for the same measures to be taken in favour of members of the regional office as the ones advocated for the members of the national office in Bogotá.

Threats and aggressions against defenders of displaced persons¹¹⁴

In April 2002 the leaders of the displaced populations, in particular the National Association of Displaced Colombians (Asociación Nacional de Desplazados Colombianos – ANDESCOL), the Union of available and temporary workers (Sindicato de Trabajadores Disponibles y Temporales – SINTRADIT), the National Association of Solidarity Aid (Asociación Nacional de Ayuda Solidaria – ANDAS), the Union of Solidarity for Colombia (Unión Solidaria por Colombia – USCOL) and the Metropolitan Co-ordination of the Bucaramanga Displaced Persons all received further threats.

On 19th April 2002 the homes of Misters José Ardila, Ramiro Rueda, Luis Venencia, Harold Winston Vasquez and Rafael de la Ossa were forcibly entered into by persons calling themselves members of the Technical Unit of the General Fiscality of the Nation and of the National Army. They were all arrested, accused of having ties with the Colombian rebels.

Mr. Johnny Mauricio Gonzalez Rivera, a leader of the Communal Action Junta of the Barrancabermeja Displaced Persons was witness to an intrusion into his home.

On 24th June 2002, at Bucaramanga, leaders of the displaced persons movement were threatened by the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia, AUC.

This paramilitary organisation has assumed the right to pass judgement on the morality of Human Rights organisations, and is requiring Misters Wilson Vega, Mercedes Agunza, Wilson Nuñez, José Ardilla, Gonzalo Saavedra, Hernando Maldonado, Julio Avella, Gilberto Rios, Alvaro Tapias, Ana Solaqno, Belsy Rincon, Maria Gutierrez, and a dozen other leaders to account for the use of certain financial aids received from international organisations.

The leader Mr. Fabio Vera Chaparro and his wife Mrs. Anais Carvajal, who runs the Committee of displaced women, presently co-ordinator of a community education programme for displaced children without any resources in the "La Central" district of the Soledad Municipality, Atlantico, have received numerous threats. On 26 June some individuals broke into their home and threatened Mrs. Anais Carvajal and her three children aged 3, 8 and 11, accusing them of being members of the guerrilla, and a bad example for the community, and saying that they would have to leave the district, because they were displaced persons.

Threats against the NGOs "Compromiso", ASOJUNTAS and PROMOPAZ¹¹⁵

On 30th April 2002 the Corporation for the Development of the Orient "Compromiso" (Corporación para el desarrollo del Oriente "Compromiso"), a non governmental organisation with headquarters in Bucaramanga, in the Santander Department, received threats via a press release sent by the Bolívar Central Block of the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia. In the same press release the municipal communal action organisation ASOJUNTAS, of Piedecuesta, and the human rights non governmental organisation PROMOPAZ, of Piedecuesta, were threatened and accused of aiding the FARC guerrillas.

Threats against the Association of families of detained-disappeared persons (ASFADDES)¹¹⁶

On 10th July 2002, ASFADDES was informed by the administration of the Procoil building, tower A, carrera 4a N° 18-50, where it has its national offices, that on the morning of 9th July four men in plain clothes arrived; one of them giving his name, Jorge Gómez. They wanted to conduct a search in the ASFADDES offices. Fiscality officials were supposed to be arriving also, for the same purpose. When the janitor asked for a search warrant, they answered "we know there are drugs and emeralds, and you must let us in".

Again the janitor asked for a search warrant, on which the individuals offered him a sum of a hundred million pesos to let them in. He refused the offer, and the four men went away.

Threats against the Inter-Congregational Commission for Justice and Peace¹¹⁷

During the last six months the Inter-Congregational Commission for Justice and Peace (Comisión Intercongregacional de Justicia y Paz) has received a series of threatening letters, of which three were addressed to Mr. Danilo Rueda, accompanied by harassment and shadowing.

On 22nd July, Mr. Danilo Rueda was followed for about ten minutes as he was on his way to the Bogotá air terminal. On 30th July the headquarters of the organisation in Bogotá received a letter addressed to the member of the Commission : "We ask you to respond to our invitation to a dialogue, do not run away next time we try to contact you, remain calm, we want to clarify your situation, we remind you that you are still a military target, accused of being a member of the FARC narcotics guerrilla movement and an auxiliary, next time do not hide, it would make things worse, be watchful, and we will avoid problems."

Friday 9th August the Bogotá office received another communiqué which said "We deplore the death of Danilo Rueda ... in September. Death of a defender of the guerrilla. Nothing else." The note was accompanied by a cross and a Virgin Mary.

For more than five years the Inter-Congregational Commission for Justice and Peace has been active in the Urabá Antioqueño region, working for the respect of the rights of the half-castes, afrodescendentes, and the indigenous populations victims of the guerrilla.

Finally on 25th November, a new letter was received at the office with the following text: "Danilo Rueda (Peace to his soul): the anti-communists of Colombia against the auxiliary of the Guerilla".

Threats against the Barrancabermeja Christian Action Teams for Peace (ECAP)¹¹⁸

The Colombian Project of the Barrancabermeja Christian Action Teams for Peace (El Proyecto en Colombia de Equipos Cristianos de Acción por la Paz – ECAP) received information to the effect that the troops of the "United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia" (AUC) might be planning the assassination of a member of the team based in Barrancabermeja.

ECAP had denounced acts of violence and human rights violations committed by armed men operating in the region (including paramilitary forces, the guerrilla, and government forces).

Threats against the President of the National Executive Junta of the "Solidarity Committee for Political Prisoners" Foundation¹¹⁹

On 15th September 2002 Mr. Agustín Jiménez Cuello, President of the national executive of the "Solidarity Committee for Political Prisoners" Foundation, (Comité de Solidaridad con los Presos Políticos – CSPP) received telephone death threats on his mobile phone. In the past he had already been followed and harassed by individuals who later were identified as having taken part in attacks against trade union leaders and human rights defenders. The threats are apparently motivated by the fact that Mr. Jimenez Cuello is presently defending the three Irishmen arrested on 11th August 2001, accused of training the FARC. They are liable to a 20 years prison sentence. The trial opened on 2nd December 2002 and the hearings will be resumed on 5th February 2003.

Threats and aggressions against the Vice-President of ASODESAMUBA¹²⁰

On 23rd December a group of 6 paramilitary, calling themselves members of the Bloque Central Bolivar, accosted Mr. Henry Palomo, Vice-President of the Association of Displaced Persons established in Barrancabermeja (Asociación de Desplazados Asentados en el Municipio de Barrancabermeja – ASODESAMUBA), an organisation covering several hundreds of displaced families and which carries out micro projects for guaranteeing their survival. The six individuals surrounded Henry Palomo, at a place called Puerto Las Escalas in Barrancabermeja, and forced him onto a motor boat, to take him to a place called Juan Esteban.

Mr. Palermo was interrogated, searched and hit several times. Having found on his person an invitation relating to an event organised by Human Rights organisations in November 2002, and on which the name of the Small Farmers' Association of the Cimitarra river Valley, (Asociación Campesina del Valle del Río Cimitarra) appeared, the paramilitary threatened Mr. Palomo, saying "if you belong to that guerrilla organisation that tries to pass as peasants and representatives of human rights, we shall kill you, because the orders are to kill the bastards whenever we see one".

Thanks to a telephone system set up for his protection, Mr. Palomo was able to alert the department of the regional defender of the people for the Magdalena Medio region, who in turn were able to call the police. The police identified the place where Mr. Palomo was being held, and took him to a safe place, pending his departure form the region.

Intrusions

Intrusion into the house of a member of the national executive committee and director of the Human Rights department¹²¹

During the night of 16th August soldiers of the Third Brigade of the national army broke into the house of Mr. Antonio Gonzales Luna, a member of the National Executive Committee and Director of the Human Rights Department (Comité Ejecutivo Nacional y Director del Departamento de Derechos Humanos). The soldiers said they were looking for subversive propaganda and arms.

Intrusion into the offices of NGOs¹²²

On 9th October the headquarters of the Farmers' Association of the Cimitarra River Valley (Asociación Campesina del Valle del Río Cimitarra – ACVC) in the city of Barrancabermeja was burgled. At three o'clock in the morning members of the national army, of the Department of Administrative Security (DAS) and members of the Fiscality, searched the archives and documents, and photographed the album containing pictures of the members of the ACVC, and the passport belonging to Mr. Miguel Cifuentes Ardila, a leading member of the organisation. They took with them several institutional videotapes.

These facts occurred on the last day of the Verification and Follow-up Committee on the events at Yanacué, a body of the Cantagallo Municipality, composed of State monitoring agencies, NGOs and international organisations. On 23rd September at 5h30 members of the Nueva Granada Battalion, based in Barrancabermeja, surrounded, and then without reason fired on, a peasant dwelling, killing a nine-year old child, Nelson Alirio Hernández, and Mr. Forentino Castellanos Zetuain, aged 37, and seriously injuring Mrs. Mongui Hernández Jerez, mother of the child.

On 22nd October, in the Policarpa district, individuals broke into the house of Mr. Pedro Salas Adulto, a member of the ASFADDES.

On 25th October, between 4h45 and 6h30 in the morning, the headquarters of the Permanent Assembly of the Civil Society for Peace (Asamblea Permanente de la Sociedad Civil Por la Paz), in Bogotá, were burgled. Around 40 members of the Central Direction of the Criminal Police (Policía Judicial de la Dirección Central de Policía Judicial – DIJIN), and of the Administrative Security Department of the army, broke a window to get in. They threatened with a weapon the owner of the house, a man of 70, forced the locks, searched the archives and consulted the computer.

Search of the premises of a Terre des Hommes project¹²³

On 11th December 2002 the department of the National General Prosecutor and other members of Colombian State Security agencies carried out a search of the Psycho-social Centre for children and young victims of the conflict, a project initiated by the Terre des Hommes Italian organisation, located in Bogotá. They were supposedly looking for arms. Several human rights organisations, both national (Minga, the Colombian Commission of Jurists) and international, as well as diplomats, went to the site as a sign of solidarity, and for denouncing such an action, the aim of which is to undermine the legitimacy of social organisations, of peace movements and human rights NGOs.

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[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]

28. See Special appeal Colombia, January/February 2002.

29. Idem.

30. Idem.

31. Idem.

32. See Special appeal Colombia, March 2002.

33. Idem.

34. Idem.

35. See Special appeal Colombia April/May 2002.

36. Idem.

37. Idem.

38. See Special appeal Colombia April/May 2002.

39. Idem.

40. Idem.

41. See Special appeal Colombia June 2002.

42. Idem.

43. Idem.

44. Idem.

45. Idem.

46. See Special appeal Colombia July 2002.

47. Idem.

48. Idem.

49. See Special appeal Colombia August 2002.

50. See Special appeal Colombia September 2002.

51. Idem.

52. Idem.

53. Idem.

54. Idem.

55. See Special appeal Colombia January/February 2002.

56. Idem.

57. See Special appeal Colombia April/May 2002.

58. Idem.

59. See Special appeal Colombia June 2002.

60. Idem.

61. Idem.

62. See Special appeal Colombia July 2002.

63. See Special appeal Colombia August 2002.

64. See Special appeal Colombia November 2002.

65. Idem.

66. See Special appeal Colombia January/February 2002.

67. Idem.

68. See Observatory urgent appeal COL 001/0302/OBS 15.

69. See Special appeal Colombia March/April 2002.

70. See Special appeal Colombia June 2002.

71. See Special appeal Colombia April/May 2002.

72. See Special appeal Colombia October 2002.

73. See Special appeal Colombia November 2002.

74. See Special appeal Colombia December 2002 – January 2003.

75. See Special appeal Colombia March 2002.

76. See Special appeal Colombia September 2002

77. Idem.

78. Idem.

79. Idem.

80. See Special appeal Colombia October 2002.

81. Idem.

82. See Special appeal Colombia November 2002.

83. Idem.

84. See Special appeal Colombia, December 2002 – January 2003.

85. Idem.

86. See Special appeal Colombia, January/February 2002.

87. Idem.

88. Idem.

89. Idem.

90. See urgent appeal Colombia April/May 2002.

91. Idem.

92. See Special appeal Colombia July 2002.

93. See Special appeal Colombia August 2002.

94. Idem.

95. See Special appeal Colombia November 2002.

96. Idem.

97. Idem.

98. Idem.

99. See Special appeal Colombia November 2002

100. Idem.

101. Idem.

102. Idem.

103. Idem.

104. See Special appeal Colombia October 2002.

105. See Special appeal Colombia November 2002.

106. Idem.

107. See Special appeal Colombia December 2002 – January 2003.

108. See Special appeal Colombia January/February 2002.

109. See Annual Report 2001.

110. See Special appeal Colombia January/February 2002.

111. Idem.

112. See Special appeal Colombia March 2002.

113. See Special appeal Colombia October 2002.

114. See Special appeal Colombia April/May 2002.

115. Idem.

116. See Special appeal Colombia July 2002.

117. See Special appeal Colombia August 2002.

118. Idem.

119. See Special appeal Colombia September 2002.

120. See Special appeal Colombia December 2002 – January 2003.

121. Idem

122. Idem.

123. See Special appeal Colombia, December 2002.