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Mass arrests in Colombia

translation | 26.08.2003 22:48 | Globalisation | Repression | Social Struggles | World

of paula - 26.08.2003 06:33

In the framework of a huge military operation, carried out by the district attorney's office Saravenas, army and CTI (police units), the flats of numerous social activists in Saravena were raided and many persons have been arrested on the 21st of August 2003.

source:
 http://de.indymedia.org/2003/08/60342.shtml

military operation in Arauca, Colombia
military operation in Arauca, Colombia


Mass arrest of members of social organizations in Saravena, Arauca - Colombia

According to previous information, the raid of the house began at 4 o'clock am and still continues (1 pm the same day). Police, army and district attorney's office are accompanied by 2 masked up persons in the raids and arrests who accompany and function as informants and give information, who is to be arrested.

The following list comprises the persons previously arrested:

JUAN MONCAYO, member of the intercultural coordination (Coordinador Intercultural)
WILLIAM JIMENEZ, member of the trade union of the mairs(?) of Saravena (Sindicato de la Alcaldía de Saravena)
ORLANDO PÁEZ, member of the trade union umbrella organization CUT-Saravena
ALONSO CAMPIÑO, vice president of the trade union umbrella organization CUT-Saravena and member of the directive of the same umbrella organization
WILFREDO OSORIO LEON, salesman
FREDY VERA CONTRERAS, colleague of the Aquaedukt company Saravenas (Empresa de Acueducto de Saravena)
JAIRO MACHADO DURAN, president of the community organization of the quarter Libertadores (Presidente de la Junta de Acción Comunal del bar Rio Libertadores)
DANIL LESMES QUIROGA, guard of the Aquaaedukt company Saravenas (Celador de la Empresa de Acueducto de Saravena)
BLANCA SEGURA, teacher, president of the trade union of the educational sector -Sintrenal (Presidenta del Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Educación, Sintrenal)
DIOGENES CONTRERAS, member of the trade union Incora (Sindicato de Trabajadores del Incora)
PEDRO BOHORQUEZ, member of the farmers committee -Saravena (Comité de Ganaderos de Saravena)
FABIO GOMEZ, member of the construction sector's trade union (Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Construcción)
MANUEL DOLORES FRANCO, taxi driver, member Cootrasarares
JOSE MURILLO, president of the human rights committee Joel Sierra
ELIDA PARRA, employee of the Aquaedukt company Saravenas
ESTHER TORRES, worker in the hospital Saravenas.
GRACILIANO CACUA, nurse of the hospital Saravenas
LUIS JESUS RODRIGUEZ, functionary Incoras
GLORIA MEDINA, director of the arts and community centre (Casa de la Cultura de Saravena)
EMIRO GOYENECHE, presenter of the radio station Saravena FM Estereo (emisora Saravena FM Estereo)
JAIME DAZA, ambulance driver of the hospital Saravenas
JHONNY DIAZ, directive of the umbrella organization CUT Arauca (Directivo de la Cut Arauca)
RAMIRO HERNANDEZ MAHECHA, member of the hospitals trade union (Sindicato del hospital de Saravena)
CARLOS MANUEL CASTRO PEREZ, member of the hospitals trade union (Sindicato del hospital de Saravena)
JOSE LOPEZ, member of the hospitals trade union (Sindicato del hospital de Saravena)
ELISEO DURAN, member of the construction sector's trade union (sindicato de Trabajadores de la Construcción)

Moreover we received the information, that warrants exist against following persons, whose houses and offices have already been raided:

SAMUEL MORALES, president of the CUT-Saravena
ISMAEL PABÓN, leading personality of the social organizations Araucas and member of the human rights committee Joel Sierra.
LEONEL GOYENECHE, leading personality of the CUT Saravena
ALBERTO PAEZ, leading personality of the Cut Saravena
JORGE PRIETO, president of the trade union Anthoc Saravena.

In addition to the raids of the private houses and the arrests, following offices of the social organizations have been raided:
The trade union office of Anthoc, the Community company Acueducto y Alcantarillado Saravenas? ECAAS and the regionally advice places of the Indigenous inhabitants Araucas.
Moreover mass arrests of Saravenas inhabitants took place, with the pretense of that the registration of previous convictions would be examined.

The military offensive continues and expect that there will be further raids and arrests.

As a reason for the arrests, the commander of the nationally police general Teodor Campo, indicates that the arrested persons of the different social organizations would be members the guerilla.

It is noticeably, that it is publicly known in this area, that the concerned persons accused to belong to the Guerrilla, have in fact been working for years as members of social organisations, and not been active for the guerilla.

A similar military operation took place in November 2002, when several hundreds of persons were arrested and 43 persons were accused. These accused persons still remain under accusations of rebellion, in custody. All 43 persons are members of the social organizations Saravenas.

Because of the previously described persecutions of the social organizations and the committed human right violations, we demand the following:

1. We condemn the random mass arrests of the leading personalities of social organizations in Arauca and we demand of Praesident Alvaro Uribe Velez the immediate release of the prisoners.

2. We request that Praesident Alvaro Uribe Velez prompts to stop the military operation immediatedly.

We therefore ask the international community to speak up to the Colombian government for the social activists Saravenas, to end the raids and mass arrests, the persecutions and intimidation of the social organizations by the national authorities in Arauca.

Signing organizations:

Corporación Sembrar
COSPAAC
Organizaciones Sociales de Arauca
Comité de that echoes Humanos Joel Sierra
Fundación Comité de Solidaridad con loosely Presos Políticos
CUT, Departamento de that echoes Humanos
CUT, Seccional Tolima
Coordinador Nacional Agrario
Humanidad Vigente Corporación Jurídica
Sinaltrainal

____________________________________________________

DIRECCIONES

Presidente de la Republica
S. E. Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Presidente de la República
Cra. 8 n°.7-26, Palacio de Nariño, Santa fe de Bogotá.
Fax: ( + 57,1) 566.20.71
e-mail:  auribe@presidencia.gov.co;

Vicepresidente de la Republica de Colombia
Francisco Santos
Consejeria Presidential de that echoes Humanos
Calle 7, No 654, Piso 3
Santafe de Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: 00,57,1,337,1351
E-mail:  fsantos@presidencia.gov.co
Rights humane Presidential programs
Programa that echoes Humanos Presidencia de la Republica
 ppdh@presidencia.gov.co

Dr. Carlos Franco, Director del Programa Presidencial de that echoes
Humanos y de that echo Internacional Humanitario.
E-mail:  cefranco@presidencia.gov.co

Dr. Fernando Ibarra, Asesor del Programa Presidencial de that echoes
Humanos y de that echo Internacional Humanitario.
E-mail:  fibarra@presidencia.gov.co Calle 7 N° 5-54
TEL. : ( + 57,1) 336.03.11
FAX: ( + 57,1) 337.46.67

Ministerio de Defensa
Martha Lucia Ramirez de Rincon
Ministerio de Defensa Nacional
Avenida el Dorado con carrera 52 CAN Santa Fe de
Bogotá
Fax: 00,57,1,222,1874
E-mail:  siden@mindefensa.gov.co;  Comunicacion@mindefensa.gov.co
 infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co;  mdn@cable.net.co

Ministro del Interior y Justicia
Fernando Londono Hoyos
Ministerio del Interior y Justicia
Palacio Echeverry, Carrera 8a, No.8-09, piso 2o.,
Santafe de Bogota, Colombia
Fax: 00,57,1,286,8025
E-mail:  ministro@minjusticia.gov.co;  minisint@col1.telecom.com.co;
 viceministra@minjusticia.gov.co

Procurador general de la Nacion/Attorney general
De Edgardo José Maya Villazon
Carrera 5 N° 15-80 F
Santa Fe de Bogotá.
Fax: 3429723
E-mail:  anticorrupcion@presidencia.gov.co;  reygon@procuraduria.gov.co

Fiscal general de la Nacion/Public Prosecutor
De Luis Camilo Osorio
B n diagonal 22°. 52-01, Santa fe de Bogotá.
Fax: ( + 57,1) 570,20,00;
Enamel:  contacto@fiscalia.gov.co;  denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co;
 webmaster@fiscalia.gov.co

Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores.
Viceministro de Asuntos Políticos multilateral
Dr. Jaime Girón Duarte
E-mail:  pmdirect@minrelext.gov.co
Calle 10 N° 5-51
TEL. : ( + 57,1) 566.20.08 FAX: ( + 57,1) 562.76.10

Fiscalía general de la Nación
Dra. Elba Beatriz Silva, Directora de la Unidad de that echoes Humanos
Y de that echo Internacional Humanitario.
E. mail:  elbsilva@fiscalia.gov.co

Oficina del Alto Comisionado para read Naciones Unidas en Colombia
Teléfono 629,36,36 ext 109-132-144
E-mail: www. hchr. orgo. co

Defensor del Pueblo / Public Defender
De Luis Eduardo Cifuentes
Calle 55 n°. 10-32
Santa Fe de Bogotá.
Fax: ( + 57,1) 640,04,91
E-mail:  secretaria_privada@hotmail.com,  defensoria@defensoria.org.co

Misión permanent de Colombia ante Naciones Unidas en Ginebra read.
Chemin you Champ d' Anier 17-19, 1209 Ginebra.
FAX: ( + 41 22)791.07.87; ( + 41,22) 798.45.55.
E-mail  mission.colombia@ties.itu.int

Oficina del Alto Comisionado de read Naciones Unidas para loosely that echoes Humanos
Palacio Wilson
Oficina de read Naciones Unidas en Ginebra
1211 Ginebra 10
Suiza
Tel. : + 41,22,917,90,00
Fax: + 41,22,917,90,11
E-mail:  webadmin.hchr@unog.ch

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