URGENT CALL FOR ACTION TO PROTECT UNION AND SOCIAL LEADERS IN MANIZALES
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Santiago de Cali, 22 of April, 2002.

Dear Sirs:
Evaluation and Risk Committee of the Ministry of Interior
Dr. Rafael Bustamante
Dra. Carme Maria Lasso
General Leadership for Human Rights
E. S. D.

Ref: Call for Preventative Action and for application of a Security
Scheme for Trade Union leaders:

As you know, the situation of trade union and Social leaders in the
Municipality of Manizales, in the Department of Caldas has worsened
greatly since the arrival and permanent presence of the sef named United
Self Defence Force of Colombia, the AUC.


The Events:

1. On the 12th of April at 8.00pm HERNAN DE JESÚS ORTIZ PARRA, vice
president of the Caldas United Educators Union EDUCAL, a member of the
national Human Rights team of the CUT and responsible for the Permanent
Human Rights Committee of Caldas CPDH and JOSE ROBEIRO PINEDA, ex-
director of the Electricity Workers union SINTRAELECOL were
assassinated. The trade union leaders were dining in a restaurant when
several heavily armed men, who arrived in a truck, entered the
restaurant and killed them.

2. Several threatening phone calls were received during the wake of the
murdered leaders HERNAN ORTIZ and ROBEIRO PINEDA. One call came on 13th
of April at 2.00 am, to the porter at the union's headquarters. The
caller stated "Don't show yourselves [mourning] these deaths any more,
we will bury you quick and give you a present", in another call to the
house of the Secretary of the Union the caller stated "Very tired? You
are going to get more tired - the party is just beginning" and "See you
in the hospital."

3. HERNAN ORTIZ along with JHON GERMAN LOPEZ, (Secretary General of
EDUCAL, and member of the Tertulia Simón Rodríguez y professor at the
University of Caldas in the area of Humanities for the last 8 years and
a teacher of Statistics and Probability in the National University), had
denounced, since the 18th of October 2001, to the Prosecutors Office
(Fiscalia), the appearance of a list with the names of 12 trade union
leaders in Manizales, including themselves. Three days prior to the
assassination of HERNAN ORTIZ, the Fiscalia announced that the case had
been closed. l

4. In the denouncement made by HERNAN ORTIZ and JHON GERMAN LOPEZ,
registered with the No 2331, they included the list which was sent to
FEDECALDAS, on the 28th of September, 2001in which it stated:

"Opening File 7345 verifying. For information, verify these telephone
numbers which are now submitted to Observation and Control Organizations
...(the next part is illegible)

Ortiz Parra Hernán of Educal, Ocampo Henry house and office in
Fedecaldas, Díaz Forero Sergio Sitelecom, Vargas Pizarro Mercedes
Tertulia Simón Rodríguez, Germen Jhon Educal Tertulia Simón Rodríguez,
Orozco Arturo Oscar Sintraelecol, Hernández Hernando indígenous,
Betancourt Nelson Human Rights Commitee Caldas, Gallego Miguel Ángel
Lawyer Political Prisoner.No telephone. Morales Restrepo Julio Uneb
Caldas, Luis Carlos Political Prisoners, Correa Vallejo Carlos Arturo
Political Prisoners. Under observation:. University Students under
observation. Reminder observations to develop for December (name
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) pending". Parenthesis is ours.

5. It is worth noting that all the people on the lists are well known
trade union, social and popular leaders that have lead strong processes
in the defence of education, such as the marches against Law 012, the
closure of hospitals and the privatization of public services.

6. The most worrying thing is that these paramilitaries move easily
through the city, filling the walls with their AUC slogans, an example
of which is " Good boys go to bed at 10 o'clock, and those that don't,
we put them to bed". The AUC have also leafleted the university
threatening students and generating terror across the city, leaving the
population in constant fear.

Because of the above we call for the Ministry of Interior Protection
Scheme for Trade Unionists to:

1. Provide all the necessary guarantees immediately to protect the
physical integrity of all those leaders and organizations that have been
threatened.

2. Provide "Hard Security Schemes" to Henry Ocampo leader of
Fedecaldas, Sergio Díaz Forero leader of Sitelecom, Mercedes Vargas
Pizarro, member of Tertulia "Simón Rodríguez", Jhon German López Ríos
leader of EDUCAL and member of Tertulia Simón Rodríguez, Oscar Arturo
Orozco leader of Sintraelecol, Hernando Hernández indigenous leader,
Nelson Betancourt leader of the Human Rights Committee of Caldas,
Miguel Ángel Gallego lawyer for Political Prisoners, Julio Restrepo
Morales leader of Uneb Caldas, Luis Carlos defender of Political
Prisoners, Carlos Arturo Correa Vallejo defender of Political Prisoners.
All with the aim of preventing any attempt against their lives, taking
into account that all of them are on the list in which Hernan Ortiz was
on, and who was assassinated on the 12th of April, 2002.

3. Demand that the Organisms of control the Fiscalía and the National
Prosecutor General carry out a rapid and impartial investigation into
the material and intellectual authors of the crime against HERNAN ORTIZ
PARRA and ROBEIRO PINEDA.


Asociación Para la Investigación y Acción Social- NOMADESC
Sindicato de Los Trabajadores Universitarios de Colombia - SINTRAUNICOL
Sindicato de Trabajadores de Las Empresas Municipales de Cali -
SINTRAEMCALI
Central Unitaria De Los Trabajadores
CUT - VALLE DEL CAUCA
Corporación Servicios Profesionales Comunitarios - SEMBRAR
Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Minería en Colombia - SINTRAMINERCOL
Unión Sindical Obrera - USO
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

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

SEND MESSAGES TO / ENVIAR MENSAJES O CARTAS A:

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,  rdh@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