Last Thursday, 29th November paramilitaries massacred 12 people in the village of Montebello
which is in the central northern department of Antioquia. The day before
the paras had shot three hostages and disappeared four others in the
town of El Tambo, in the south west department Cauca. Then at 8.30am
last Friday morning three car loads of paras kidnapped oil workers union
USO regional president Aury Sará Marrugo on his journey into Cartagena
on the Caribbean sea.

The combined state and paramilitary elimination programme in Colombia
has reached a crescendo in all corners of the country and against every
sector of the social movement.

In the run up to international protests on 10th December this update we
can only highlight some of the individual 'Urgent Action' cases out of a
wave of sickening violence. What these examples show is that despite
ever more flagrant and outrageous human rights violations the resistance
has spread, especially amongst women and the youth.

The oil city Barranacabermeja was overrun by the paramilitary United
Self-Defence of Colombia (AUC) in March this year. As well as targeted
liquidations of trade unionists and community activists they are now
enforcing a fascistic social regime. Women suspected of adultery are
being beaten up. Two girls accused of robbery were forced to sweep the
streets of their whole district bearing signs on their chest and back
"I'm being punished for thieving from taxi drivers". The OFP Popular
Women's Organisation with its 29 year record of grass roots organising
has been a particular target of the AUC. One of the movement's centres
has been 'disappeared'. On 10th November the paramilitaries tore down
the Women's North Centre, consisting of a shop, dining room and
facilities for 50 women, and carted everything away. On 19th November an
armed squad of AUC paramilitaries arrived at the Women's North East
Centre demanding the whereabouts of two OFP members Dora Guzmán and
Gloria Amparo Suárez. A para commander who calls himself "the cat"
threatened them with "serious problems".

Every centre of social solidarity and collectivity is under attack. On
13th September 15,000 school students, parents and teachers from three
secondary colleges took to the streets of Bogotá against their
threatened privatisation. They were assaulted by the police. Two weeks
later students from the Cundimarca Girls High School blockaded the
'Transmilenio' main bus route crossing the capital city. Their protest
was broken up by the police. The high schoolgirls blockaded again on
11th October. This time the police attacked with small tanks and water
cannon, but they could not dislodge the girls. It was only tear gas and
snatch squads of women police that cleared them. The police chased the
girls into their college nearby and launched tear gas into the
buildings. 14 girls were detained. Then on 21st November 1,500 girl
students occupied their college demanding their right to education. The
latest news is that police have laid siege on the college, filming and
intimidating, but they have not been able to stop the resistance
spreading. On 26th November 150 students at Silberia Espinosa also went
into occupation.

Students at the National University in Bogotá mounted a protest against
the US and British war on Afghanistan on 8th November. Carlos Giovanni
Blanco, in his second year studying medicine, was shot dead by anti-riot
police, 23 students were wounded and an indeterminate number were
detained. The next day students at Antioquia University made a peaceful
protest repudiating the murder of Carlos Giovanni Blanco. Two Pharmacy
students, David Jaramillo and Juan Jiménez were playing chess when two
armed men entered into the education centre and shot them. These
killings drew the attention to the repression against students in
Colombia, which has hitherto been barely reported. In the first six
months of 2001 alone, 54 students have been victims of official and
paramilitary terror: 23 political assassinations, 21 killed in
massacres, 8 disappeared and 2 assassinated under torture. The latest
victim is Pedro Humberto Vicuña, who disappeared on 26th October while
on the way back to Popayán from an anthropology seminar.

Peasants have long borne the brunt of paramilitary atrocities that are
forcing them from their homes at the rate of eight families an hour. In
Easter this year the paramilitaries conducted a series of massacres
against black village communities with an estimated total of over 100
victims along the Naya river. The Naya flows into the Pacific just south
of Buenaventura, and local sources report a column of 300 paramilitaries
moving into the area again. Peasant leaders are in great danger. At 3am
on 7th November soldiers in the army's 15th Brigade and agents from the
Attorney General's department led an assault on the Bucaramanga home of
César Jerez, a member of the Cimitarra River Valley Peasants Association
and a human rights defender. They demanded of César's mother, "Where is
your son, the FARC guerilla", marking him out for future assassination.
A hooded informer stood by pointing out computer equipment which was
carted off as supposed evidence.

The displaced peasants camped at Ibagu in Tolima arranged for an
international delegation to visit their communities on 13th and 14th
November to see the insecurity and bad conditions in which they have
lived ever since being displaced by the Bellacruz massacre in 1996.
There were representatives from the Belgian, Canadian and Austrian
embassies and the visit was deemed successful. Then on 23rd November,
one of the peasant organisers 29 year old Clodomiro Guerrero Carrascal
was arrested under charges of terrorism.

But it is becoming ever more clear that the fundamental responsibility
for human rights violations in Colombia lies with the terrorism of the
state and its backers in Washington and London. The US inspired Plan
Colombia intensifies in a new phase in December and January with the
delivery of 41 additional helicopters to the armed forces. It really is
time for a real solidarity movement to emerge that will play a
significant part in stopping this horrendous offensive against the
Colombia people.

The Colombian Solidarity Campaign and associate organisations are
holding vigils in as many places as we can across Britain on 10th
December, International Human Rights Day. Join us where you can. If
there is not a vigil in your area then organise one.
VIGILS 10th December 2001 INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
========================================================
BELFAST
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the NI group of Trade's Councils
have printed a leaflet/postcard which we will be distributing Saturday
8th December in Belfast City Centre mustering at 12noon outside City
Hall. For details of Derry, Strabane, Enniskillen, contact Clare
Moore, Workplace Learning Development Officer, Irish Congress of Trade
Unions Tel: 028 90247940
BRIGHTON
Friday 7th 2pm meeting with Sussex University Students and talk on Plan
Colombia at 7.30pm. Phoenix Community Centre
Saturday 8th Vigil 12-2pm Bond Street
BRISTOL
Monday 10th Vigil in centre of Bristol opposite Hippodrome 6.30-7.30pm
Public meeting to follow
CARDIFF
Tuesday 4th Public Meeting 7pm Meeting Room 2, Students Union, Cardiff
University
Monday 10th Vigil 5:00pm - 6:00pm at the Nye Bevan memorial statue,
Queen Street, Cardiff.
LONDON 6pm-8pm Monday 10th
DOWNING STREET, WHITEHALL, SW1 (near Westminster tube)
No More Paramilitary Massacres! Stop State Terrorism! Stop Plan
Colombia! Yes to Human Rights! Peace with Social Justice!
NORWICH
Monday 10th December activities at University of East Anglia
Meeting 1-3pm in Elizabeth Frye, Room 1.34
Vigil 7pm The Square, UEA
PLYMOUTH
Contact the Campaign for details.
REMEMBER ON 10th DECEMBER TO SEND AN ELECTRONIC PROTEST
----------------------------------------------------
to the Colombian Ambassador to the UK.
Fax: 020 7581 1829 e-mail:  colombia@colombia.demon.co.uk
ADVANCE NOTICE
==============
Conference 'Plan Colombia - Clearing the Way For the Multinationals' and
the AGM of the Colombia Solidarity Campaign will be held in London
23rd/24th February 2002 with special guest from USO.
--
Andy Higginbottom
Colombia Solidarity Campaign Co-ordinator
PO Box 8446, London N17 6NZ
e-mail:  colombia_sc@hotmail.com
Tel: 07950 923 448