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bad news from Colombia :-(

internationalist | 14.02.2002 14:03

Sorry to have to report this, but the state and its paramilitaries have just carried out their first revenge killing following the victorious SINTRAEMCALI occupation. Report from Colombia Solidarity Campaign follows.

Dear Friend,

With great sadness we have to report the murder of union representative
and community leader JULIO GALEANO, and with it the clear onset of
paramilitary reprisals on the successful SINTRAEMCALI occupation against
privatisation. To defend all our friends and comrades involved in this
heroic and historic victory an international response protesting JULIO's
assassination to the Colombian authorities is vital.

Likewise paramilitary violence and state repression are escalating
against every sector standing in the way of the neoliberal programme, as
evidenced by the two accompanying Urgent Actions concerning the Pacific
Black Communities and the Colombian Communist Party. Please act on these
requests for humanitarian solidarity.


I. CONTINUA GENOCIDIO CONTRA LOS LIDERES SOCIALES EN SANTIAGO DE
CALI / CONTINUING GENOCIDE AGAINST SOCIAL LEADERS IN CALI
pp 1- 4

II. PROCESO DE COMUNIDADES NEGRAS AMENAZAS EN NAYA Y YURUMANGUI
/ BLACK COMMUNITIES UNDER THREAT OF MASSACRE AS OVER 400
PARAMILITARIES MOVE ON THE NAYA AND YURUMANGUI RIVERS
pp 5 - 7

III. THE COLOMBIAN COMMUNIST PARTY SUFFERS INCREASED PERSECUTION BY
COLOMBIAN POLICE
pp 8 - 10

IV. DAYSCHOOL AND INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY RALLY
pp 10 - 11


I. CONTINUA GENOCIDIO CONTRA LOS LIDERES SOCIALES EN SANTIAGO DE
CALI

DENUNCIA PUBLICA
----------------
Las organizaciones abajo firmantes denunciamos ante la comunidad
nacional e internacional la ejecución extrajudicial del dirigente
comunal, extrabajador de EMCALI, JULIO GALEANO, a manos del grupo
paramilitar que opera en la Comuna 20  barrio de Siloe. 

Los Hechos:

1.        Siendo las 5:55 a.m. del día lunes 11 de febrero de 2002,  fue
asesinado el líder comunal,  JULIO GALEANO, salía de su residencia 
ubicada en el barrio Brisas de Mayo Kr. 53 oeste No. 12-19 de la comuna
20 - Siloe, en compañía de su esposa VIVIANA MARIA VILLAMIL con rumbo al
Centro Administrativo Municipal CAM, Torre Administrativa de EMCALI,
donde ella labora, fueron abordados por dos hombres, uno de ellos quien
desenfundo un arma y le dijo "quédese quieto", y procedió a  dispararle
a la altura del maxilar inferior izquierdo.

2.        Julio Galeano y su esposa se desplazaban en una motocicleta
Yamaha Chappy, de su propiedad y al recibir el primer impacto callo al
suelo donde fue rematado con tres tiros más, mientras su esposa salió
corriendo por el impacto.

3.        Julio Galeano y su esposa delegada Sindical participaron
activamente en la Asamblea Permanente de SINTRAEMCALI, que duro 36 días,
los cuales, como todos ustedes saben,  fueron decisorios para frenar la
liquidación y privatización de la Empresa.

4.        JULIO GALEANO, padre de tres hijos, 16, 13 y 9 años, hizo
parte del  comando de paro por el Salvamento de EMCALI, fue trabajador
de esta Empresa y  delegado de SINTRAEMCALI  desde 1993 hasta el día 1
de septiembre de 1998,  cuando miembros de la III Brigada del Ejercito,
realizaron varios  allanamientos ilegales en Siloe e incursionaron
violentamente a su  residencia, destruyeron sus pertenencias, rompieron
electrodomésticos e ingresaron  tres granadas de fragmentación con el
fin de realizar un montaje en contra del delegado sindical procediendo a
detenerlo arbitrariamente.

5.        JULIO GALEANO, estuvo privado ilegalmente de su libertad
durante 32 meses. Al salir en libertad fue amenazado de muerte por parte
del grupo paramilitar que hace presencia en esta comuna, sin embargo, 
continuo con su trabajo comunitario, organizaba reuniones, impulsaba
proyectos comunitarios con la administración local y municipal.

6.        Igualmente fue reconocido líder comunitario y en varios
periodos perteneció a la Junta de Acción Comunal del Barrio Brisas de
Mayo desempeñándose como Presidente, actualmente ocupaba el cargo de
Fiscal de la Junta de Acción Comunal y de la Asociación de padres de
familia del Colegio Juan Pablo Segundo, perteneció al Grupo Nueva Vida 
y realizaba un importante trabajo con jóvenes drogadictos en alto
riesgo.    

Por los hechos anteriormente expuestos y ante la gravedad de la
situación que afrontan los lideres comunales, dirigentes y activistas
sindicales de la ciudad de Santiago de Cali, particularmente los que
habitan en la comuna 20 - Siloe y el Distrito de Agua Blanca,
solicitamos:
 
1.           Exigir al gobierno Colombiano se desarrolle una
investigación exhaustiva para dar castigo a los responsables del
asesinato del líder comunitario JULIO GALEANO.

2.           Se prevengan nuevos hechos que atenten contra la integridad
física y psicológica de los lideres, sociales, populares, comunitarios,
sindicales y de derechos humanos en la ciudad de Santiago de Cali.

3.           Se proteja a su esposa e hijos y se les brinde toda la
asistencia humanitaria necesaria.


PUBLIC DENOUNCEMENT
-------------------

We, the below signed organisations, denounce to the national and
international community the extra-judicial execution of JULIO GALEANO, a
community leader and former worker at EMCALI, at the hands of the
paramilitary group that operates in the Siloe area of Comuna 20
district.

The Facts:

1.        At 5:55 a.m. on Monday 11th February 2002,  community leader
JULIO GALEANO was assassinated as he left his home, located in at No
12-19 West 53 Street, in the Brisas de Mayo neighbourhood [barrio] of
Comuna 20 district. He was accompanying his wife VIVIANA MARIA VILLAMIL
and they were heading for the CAM Tower, the Central Municipal
Administration building of EMCALI where she works. They were tackled by
two men, one of them drew a firearm, told them to "keep quiet", and
proceeded to shoot JULIO in the face, at the top of his lower left jaw.

2.        JULIO GALEANO and his wife were by then on their Yamaha Chappy
motorcycle. On receiving the first shot JULIO fell to the ground where
he was finished off by three more shots, while his wife was able to keep
moving.

3.        JULIO GALEANO and his wife, who is a union representative,
were active participants in SINTRAEMCALI's recent permanent assembly,
that is occupation, that lasted 36 days. It was this occupation, as is
well known, that was decisive in stopping the liquidation and
privatisation of the EMCALI corporation.

4.        JULIO GALEANO, was father of three children aged 16, 13 and 9
years old. He was a member of the "Save EMCALI" strike committee, he had
been a worker at the corporation and a SINTRAEMCALI union
representative from 1993 until 1 September 1998,  when members of the
Army's Third Brigade carried out several illegal raids in Siloe. They
broke into his home violently, destroying possessions, breaking
electrical domestic appliances, and planting three fragmentation
grenades with the aim of framing him up and proceeded to detain him
arbitrarily [without just cause].

5.        JULIO GALEANO was illegally deprived of his liberty for 32
months. On leaving detention he was given a death threat by a
paramilitary group that was present in his district. He nevertheless
continued with his community work, pushing forward community projects
with the local and city administration.

6.        He was a recognised community leader and at different times he
served on the Brisas de Mayo Neighbourhood Community Action Committee,
including as its President. Most recently he has been the Co-ordinator
of the Community Action Committee and of the Parents Association at Juan
Pablo Secondary School. JULIO also belonged to the New Life Group and he
carried out important work with young people who were high risk drug
addicts.

In consequence of these events, and given the seriousness of the
situation faced by community leaders and trade union activists in the
city of Santiago de Cali, particularly those living in the Siloe area of
Comuna 20 district and in the Agua Blanca district, we seek you support
in the following manner:
 
1.      Demand that the Colombian government mounts a thorough
investigation so that those responsible for the murder of
community leader JULIO GALEANO be identified and punished.

2.      That new attempts on the physical and psychological well being
of social, popular, community, trade union and human rights
leaders in the city of Santiago de Cali be prevented.

3. That JULIO GALEANO's wife and children are protected and given
all necessary humanitarian support.

RECOMMENDED ACTION
------------------

ENVIAR MENSAJES O CARTAS A / SEND MESSAGES TO:

ANDRÉS PASTRANA ARANGO
Presidente de la República,
Presidencia de la República
Carrera 8 No. 7-26 Palacio de Nariño,
Santa Fe de Bogotá
Teléfono. +57.1.5629300 ext. 3550 (571) 284 33 00
Fax +(57)1 - 286 74 34 - 286, 68 42 -284 21 86
Mailto:  pastrana@presidencia.gov.co

ARMANDO ESTRADA VILLA
Ministro del Interior
Carrera 8 # 8-09 - Bogotá
Fax: +57-1-286.80.25

GUSTAVO BELL
Ministro de la Defensa,
Ministerio de Defensa Nacional
Avenida El Dorado con carrera 52 CAN Santa Fe de Bogotá
Tel-fax: +57.1.222.1874
E-mail de la Secretaría General:  infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co

EDGARDO JOSÉ MAYA VILLAZÓN
Procuraduría General de la Nación
Carrera 5 No. 15-80 Santa Fe de Bogotá
Tel-fax: +57.1.342.9723, +57.1.281.7531

LUIS CAMILO OSORIO
Fiscal General de la Nación
Diagonal 22 B No. 52-01 Santa Fe de Bogotá.
Tel fax: +57.1.570.2022

EDUARDO CIFUENTES
Defensoría del Pueblo
Calle 55 No. 10-32 Santa Fe de Bogotá
Fax: +57.1.346.1225
 
LUIS ERNESTO GILIBERT
Director General Policía Nacional
Santafé de Bogotá
Fax: +57.1.428.7634 - +57.1.315.9527

FERNANDO TAPIAS STAHELIN
Comandante de las Fuerzas Militares
Avenida el Dorado con Carrera 52
Santa Fe de Bogotá
Telefax. 57-1-2222935
 
CAMILO GÓMEZ
Comisionado para la Paz Fax: +57.1.560.9946
Oficina en Colombia del Alto Comisionado de la ONU para
los Derechos Humanos
Fax: +57.1.313.4050
Mailto:  oacnudh@hchr.org.co

Signed:
Asociación Para la Investigación y Acción Social NOMADESC;
La Unión Sindical Obrera USO; Sindicato de Trabajadores de Las Empresas
Municipales de Cali SINTRAEMCALI; Corporación Servicios Profesionales
Comunitarios SEMBRAR; Sindicato De Los Trabajadores Universitarios De
Colombia SINTRAUNICOL; Central Unitaria De Los Trabajadores CUT - VALLE
DEL CAUCA; Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Minería en Colombia
SINTRAMINERCOL; Movimiento Estudiantil del Valle del Cauca y Nariño;
Fundación Comité De Solidaridad Con Presos Políticos Seccional Valle del
Cauca; Sintramunicipio Bugalagrande; Sintramunicipio Yumbo;
Sintramunicipio Dagua; Sintrametal Yumbo; Sutev; Asonal Judicial Valle
del Cauca; Sintrahospiclínicas; Sinaltrainal Bugalagrande.

CAMPAÑA NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL DE DERECHOS HUMANOS CONTRA LA
PRIVATIZACIÓN, LA CORRUPCION Y LA PENALIZACIÓN DE LA PROTESTA SOCIAL

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN AGAINST PRIVATISATION,
CORRUPTION AND THE CRIMINALISATION OF SOCIAL PROTEST

[Also to relevant embassy as indicated below].



II. BLACK COMMUNITIES UNDER THREAT OF MASSACRE AS OVER 400
PARAMILITARIES MOVE ON THE NAYA AND YURUMANGUI RIVERS

Canada, 12 February 2002
 
It is with sad and striking irony that, while millions celebrate Black
History Month, we have to forward the news of an imminent paramilitary
incursion into the traditional territories of the Black communities on
Colombia's Pacific Coast.
 
In Colombia, all massacres are announced
 
The inhabitants of the Naya and Yurumangui Rivers have been preparing
for an imminent massacre since late November, 2001 when right-wing
paramilitaries announced that they would "celebrate Christmas with a
massacre" in order to "seize control of the area and cleanse it of
guerrilla collaborators".
 
It was thanks to the pressure generated by an international campaign of
letters in protest to the Colombian government that the Christmas
massacre was prevented.
 
Despite the threats against them, the communities of the Naya and
Yurumangui, with great courage and dignity, have made the decision to
stay and resist and defend their traditional territories no matter what
the consequences.
 
The Wealth of the Pacific Coast Rainforest
 
The territories of the Colombian Pacific, which have been inhabited by
African descendants for some 400 years, are coveted for their immense
resource wealth and "development" potential, which includes petroleum,
gold, uranium, precious timber, biodiversity and enormous potential for
hydroelectric dam development.  Likewise, the Black communities are also
recognized in their rights to collective entitlement of these very
lands as well as the right to autonomously develop them according to
their traditional values of their culture, rights which became
consecrated under the Black Communities Law (or Law 70) of 1993. Thus,
the historic and cultural project of the Black communities finds itself
in direct confrontation with the strategic interests of national and
international investment. This confrontation has meant the infliction of
terrible violence upon the peaceful communities of the Pacific coast
rainforest. The Black communities peacefully strive to build a society
which can exist in harmony with the forest that gives them their
sustenance and have always maintained that this does NOT make them
guerrilla collaborators.
 
Over 400 paramilitaries move on the Naya and Yurumangui
 
Today, February 12, 2002, news was just received of the movement of over
400 paramilitaries into the Naya and Yurumangui Rivers. It should be
noted that Colombia is a country known for maintaining vital links
between the official military and illegal paramilitary death squads. A
great deal of evidence to this regard has been compiled by credible
sources such Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and
the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).
 
What can be done?
 
Since all massacres in Colombia are previously announced, the sending
of letters, emails, faxes and making phone calls has proven to be an
effective tool for halting these acts of barbarism. At the end of this
message you will find the relevant addresses.
 
Below we include a translated version of the communiqué sent out by the
Autonomous Black Movement of Colombia known as the PCN (Proceso de
Comunidades Negras) sent to the president of Colombia, the High
Commission for Human Rights of the United Nations and the Colombian
Human Rights Ombudsman.
 
*******************************************
Bogotá, 12 February 2002
 
URGENT
 
To: VICEPRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
OFFICE FOR THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN
Bogotá
 
Re: The situation in the Naya-Yurumanguí
 
We have just been informed today of the deployment by land of
approximately 400 paramilitaries that apparently come from the Darien
and Calima region (province of Valle del Cauca), who have just moved
through the settlements known as Los Turbos-San Cipriano-Aguaclara. They
were seen by the inhabitants of that region have given testimony of the
presence of the paramilitaries passing through the region and confirm
that they have already passed through the Anchicayá River hydroelectric
dam. Also, it has been reported that paramilitaries of the  urban area
of the port city of Buenaventura are concetrating and awating orders to
be sent to the Naya and Yurumangui Rivers. The order they have been give
is to enter with blood and fire to remove the guerrilla.
 
Likewise, we have been informed from the inhabitants of the region of
the intensification of paramilitary roads blocks and check points,
specifically in the villages of Zabaletas, Llano Bajo and San Marcos on
the Anchicaya River. Paramilitaeis currently control all poitns of
access to those rural areas. Their route appears to be Calima - Darién,
crossing over the New highway, entering the rivers Anchicaya, Raposo,
Cajambre, Yurumangui and Naya
 
We write this letter in expectation that you take all measures to avoid
that, just as it is being announced, the Black, indigenous and peasant
communities that live in this region suffer aggression, massacres and
displacement.
 
Sincerely yours,
 
BLACK COMMUNITIES PROCESS (PROCESO DE COMUNIDADES NEGRAS - PCN) NATIONAL
COORDINATION TEAM
 
VERSION ESPANOL
=============== 
                                                                        
URGENTE
  
Señores
VICEPRESIDENCIA DE LA REPÚBLICA OFICINA DEL ALTO COMISIONADO PARA
DERECHOS HUMANOS DE NACIONES UNIDAS DEFENSORIA DEL PUEBLO
Bogotá.
  
Ref. Situación Naya-Yurumangui.
  
Hemos sido informados en el día de hoy  del desplazamiento por tierra
de  cerca de 400 paramilitares y que al parecer vienen de la zona
Calima-Darién, atravesaron por el sitio conocido como Los Tubos- San
Cipriano-Aguaclara. Estos han sido visto por pobladores de esta zona y
se dice que ya pasaron por la hidroeléctrica del Río Anchicaya..
Igualmente se  dice que  los paramilitares de la zona urbana de
Buenaventura están siendo concentrados para ser enviados a los ríos Naya
y Yurumangui. La orden es entrar a estos ríos a sangre y fuego y sacar a
la guerrilla.

Igualmente se nos informa de la zona que se han intensificado desde el
viernes ultimo hasta hoy los retenes de los paramilitares  en las
veredas Zabaletas, Llano Bajo, San Marcos sobre el río Anchicaya.
Los paramilitares controlan en el caso de Buenaventura todos los accesos
a la zona rural. La ruta que están siguiendo es la de Calima - Darién,
atravesando la carretera Nueva, entrando a Anchicaya, Raposo, Cajambre,
Yurumangui y Naya.

Esperando  se tomen las medidas para evitar que tal y como esta
anunciado, las comunidades negras, indígenas y campesinas  que viven en
esta zona sean nuevamente agredidas, masacradas y desplazadas...
 
De ustedes,
 
PROCESO DE COMUNIDADES NEGRAS EQUIPO DE COORDINACION NACIONAL

RECOMMENDED ACTION
------------------

Address your letters to:
 
FOR THOSE IN CANADA:
Write to: Fanny Kertzman Yankelevitch
Ambassador for Colombia
360 Albert Street, Suite 1002
Ottawa, Ontario K1R 7X7
Fax:      (613) 230-4416
Email:  embajador@embajadacolombia.ca 
 
FOR THOSE IN THE UNITED STATES: 
Write to: Luis Alberto Moreno
Embajador de Colombia
2118 Leroy Place, NW,
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: (202) 387 8338
Fax:     (202) 232 8643
 as@colombiaemb.org
 
FOR THOSE IN THE U.K.
Mr VICTOR RICARDO,
Ambassador to the UK,
Embassy of the Republic of Colombia
Flat 3A, 3 Hans Crescent, London SW1X 0LN, UK
Tel: (020) 7589 9177. Fax: (020) 7581 1829.
E-mail:  mail@colombianembassy.co.uk
 
IN COLOMBIA:
Write to: ANDRÉS PASTRANA ARANGO
Presidente de la República,
Carrera 8 n. 7-26 Palacio de Nariño,
Santa Fe de Bogotá
Teléfono. +57.1.5629300 ext. 3550 (571 ) 284 33 00
Fax (571 ) 286 74 34 - 286, 68 42 -284 21 86
Mailto:  pastrana@presidencia.gov.co or  rdh@presidencia.gov.co
 
National Human Rights Ombudsman
Sr. Eduardo Cifuentes Munoz
Defensor del Pueblo, Defensoria del Pueblo
Calle 55, No. 10-32/46 office 301
Telegram:      National Advocate, Bogota, Colombia
Fax:           011 57 1 640 0491
Salutation:    Dear Mr. Cifuentes Munoz
 
 
WITH COPIES TO:
 
Proceso de Comunidades Negras (PCN)
 pcnkolombia@hotmail.com
 
Canada Colombia Solidarity Campaign (CCSC)
 mingacolombia@yahoo.ca  
************************************************
Canada-Colombia Solidarity Campaign
122 St.Patrick Street, Suite 20-113
Toronto Ontario Canada M5T 2X8
Tel: Toronto(416) 533-8305
Ottawa (613) 747-9930
Fax: (416) 533-6871
Email: mingacolombia@yahoo.ca
Web:  http://tao.ca/~ccsc
************************************************




III. THE COLOMBIAN COMMUNIST PARTY SUFFERS INCREASED PERSECUTION BY
COLOMBIAN POLICE

Urgent Appeal for International Support
---------------------------------------

Dear Friend

We have received an urgent request from the Colombian Communist Party
for the support of the international community concerning the increasing
persecution of their members by state security forces. On the night of 4
February 2002, the homes of 10 of the party's members were raided by
police who accused them of being guerrilla collaborators and searched
their properties for Marxist literature.

Such acts of intimidation and repression are all too familiar in
Colombia, but the fact that state security forces, and not their
paramilitary henchmen, appear now to be openly carrying out persecution
campaigns takes us back to a period of all too recent Latin American
history no one ever wanted to see repeated - Cuba, Chile, Argentina,
Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Peru, Guatemala, Nicaragua. Yet the
nightmare of the post-war US-orchestrated international campaign of
terror against communists or any other political or ideological
opponents never went away. For a time it was metamorphised into the 'War
on Drugs'. And now to has come back to haunt us under a new banner - the
fraudulent US/UK 'War on Terrorism'. In Latin America, Cuba remains a
target, but even higher up the US hit list and sitting pretty are now
Colombia and Venezuela.

There have been but a flutter of news stories about the National Law for
Defence and Security introduced in Colombia in August 2001, yet its
implications are vast and extremely sinister. The law, another US
initiative thought out well before 11 September when the international
'War on Terrorism' was still a plot to be unleashed on the world, gives
untold powers to the Colombian security forces. These same security
forces, as we well know, have an horrific human rights record and work
almost symbiotically with that dark army of blood-curdling assassins we
know as paramilitaries, responsible for the deaths of thousands of
innocent civilians each year. The North American government, in spite of
its hypocritical claims to be concerned about human rights and in spite
of the pleas of three senior human rights NGOs, is about to throw even
more money and military hardware at these same security forces.

So, as well as being lavished with better equipment, more money, more
advanced training, and a bunch of hired assassins soon to be wearing the
new uniform of political legitimacy, the Colombian state security forces
have also been issued a new style of season ticket to persecute and kill
openly and with impunity. The new Law on Defence and National Security
enables them to stop, search, harass, detain arbitrarily for long
periods of time without a lawyer, torture, assassinate and disappear
anyone they decide to accuse of being a guerrilla collaborator in the
new US-led crackdown on so-called 'terrorists' and their 'supporters'.
They can operate independently without the need for civilian judicial
authorities to be a party. They can file their own reports and offer
unchallenged explanations for the deaths of civilians.

The Colombian Communist Party, long persecuted for their politics along
with the Patriotic Union (together they have seen more than 5,000 of
their members assassinated by state security forces and paramilitaries
since 1985) are experiencing a renewed escalation of this persecution
against a background of the siege-like conditions of the Bush/Blair 'new
world order'.

Please write to express your concern about this situation to:

Andres Patrana Arango
Presidente de La Republica
Carrera 8n. 7-26, Palacio de Narino
Santafe de Bogota
Colombia
Phone: 011-57-1-566-2071
Fax: 011-57-1-286-7434
E-mail:  rdh@presidencia.gov.co;  apastra@presidencia.gov.co

Gustavo Bell Lemus
Vice Presidente de la Nacion
Consejeria Presidencial de Derechos Humanos
Calle 7 nos. 6-54 Piso 3
Santafe de Bogota, Colombia
Ph: 011-57-1-336-0311
Fax: 011-57-1-342-9355

Eduardo Cifuentes
Defensor del Pueblo
Calle 55 No. 10-46
Santafe de Bogota
Ph: 011- 57-1-314-7300
Fax: 011-57-1-314-4000
General FERNANDO TAPIAS.
Comandante Fuerzas Militares
FAX 2229335

General LUIS AUGUSTO GILIBERT
Director General de la PolicÌa Nacional
FAX 4287634 o 3159527

Coronel LUIS ALFONSO NOVOA
Director Oficina Derechos Humanos PolicÌa Nacional
Fax 3159000

Unidad de Derechos Humanos
Ministerio Interior
Fax 5663214

American Officials:

Anne Patterson
U.S. Ambassador to Colombia
Ph: 011-57-1-315-2139
Fax: 011-57-1-315-2038
 ambassadorb@pd.state.gov

Mari Dieterich
Secretary for Human Rights
U.S. Ambassador in Colombia
Ph: 011-57-1-315-0811 ext. 2451
Fax: 011-57-1-315-2163
 DieterichMe@state.gov

British Officials:

Tony Blair
Prime Minister
House of Commons
Westminster
London SW1A 0AA

Dr Dennis MacShane
Foreign and Commonwealth Office - Latin America and Caribbean
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AH

Jack Straw
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Foreign and Commonweath Office
Whitehall
London SW1A 2AH

David Blunkett
Home Secretary
House of Commons
Westminster
London SW1A 2AH

COPIES OF YOUR MESSAGE TO:
COLOMBIA PEACE ASSOCIATION
 liz.atherton@freeuk.com


IV. DAYSCHOOL AND INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY RALLY

Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1
Saturday 23 February 2002

Dayschool: Plan Colombia: Clearing the way for the Multinationals
10am to 5pm

With guest speakers from Sintraemcali, USO - the Colombian oil workers
union and Sinaltrainal - the Colombian food workers union currently
taking Coca Cola to court for complicity in the assassination of trade
union leaders. Workshops on Plan Colombia and the environment, the Latin
American context, and neoliberalism and the role of the multinationals.

daytime tickets- £6 waged/£3 unwaged. Places limited, book in advance.


Solidarity Rally VICTORY TO SINTRAEMCALI! 6pm until 8pm

Following a 36 day occupation which commenced on Christmas Day, the
public sector union Sintraemcali successfully prevented the
privatisation of the public services of Cali, Colombia's second city.
This victory rally will pay tribute to the 1535 trade unionists
assassinated in Colombia over the past 10 years and the continuing
struggle of the Colombian people against the imposition of neo-
liberalism.

Speakers:
Luis Hernández (President Sintraemcali)
Berenice Celeyta (Colombian Human Rights Defender)
Hector Vaca (USO Oilworkers union)
Carlos Alberto Olaya (Sinaltrainal food workers union)
Jeremy Corbyn MP
and UNISON, War on Want, Colombia Solidarity Campaign,
Haldane Society and others

To be followed at 8pm by FIESTA
Live Salsa with Latino Na'Ma
musical special guests, DJs & Colombian food & drink

Evening tickets- £6 waged/£4 unwaged. Book in advance to guarantee entry

Combined ticket- day school, solidarity rally and fiesta
£10 waged/£5 unwaged

Join the Colombia Solidarity Campaign and attend the AGM on
Sunday 24 February, Conway Hall 10am to 4pm

Workshops on British multinationals, building international solidarity
etc

Combined weekend ticket £15 waged, £5 unwaged existing members;
or £25 and £10 new members

Creche facilities will be available during the daytime sessions, but
please notify us of needs in advance, latest Thursday 21st Feb.

To book tickets, to receive more information about Colombia, or to join
the Colombia Solidarity Campaign, contact us at PO Box 8446, London N17
6NZ. Tel 07950 923448, email  colombia_sc@hotmail.com

--
Andy Higginbottom
Co-ordinator Colombia Solidarity Campaign

internationalist

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  1. SOS COLOMBIA — WS