Where trade unionists start their day on the net.
As Director of the Human Rights Department of the CUT, I denounce to
the national and international community the existence of a macabre plan to
assassinate union leaders, because of our criticisms of the form,
method and process of negotiations between the government and the AUC
(paramilitaries).
I presented this exposé to the Executive Committee of the CUT in its
session of Wednesday 9th March [original states 9th April – presumed error].
We were informed by a trustworthy source – and for that reason we cannot
reveal their identity - that from Realito [the location of the talks
between the Uribe government and the paramilitaries] a list has been organised
of people considered to be an obstacle to the talks.
This plan will be implemented by members of army Brigade XVII based in
Carepa – Antioquia; some members of Brigade XIII located in Bogotá and
personnel from drug trafficking; and fronted by a person known in the
plan as “Melasa”.
The assassination attempt on comrade RAFAEL CABARCAS CABARCAS in
Cartagena, was to be the start of the plan; then came the shooting of comrade DUBAN ANTONIO VELEZ in Antioquia, President of SINALTRAPROAL; the case of
comrades JESUS TOVAR Vice-president of the CUT in ATLANTICO and EVELIO MANCERA President of SINTRAIMAGRA also in Atlántico; the case of PEDRO BARON President of CUT – Tolima; comrades who are leaders of SINTRAUNICOL in Valle department such as CARLOS GONZALEZ and ARIEL DÍAZ, who is responsible for Human Rights for the CUT Valle; MIGUEL FERNANDEZ President of the CUT Cauca as well as EDGAR MOJICA national leader of USO who has been threatened over the telephone.
All this plan is well articulated, and they say that the principal problem
is DOMINGO TOVAR ARRIETA Director of the Department of Human Rights of
the National CUT and who must be eliminated at any price. My family have
been threatened several times, nearly every day I am followed by cars and
motorcycles without number plates and several people surround my
residence, asking for me. They have taken photos and filmed the apartment.
I have to make it very clear that I have presented this situation in
person to FRANCISCO SANTOS Vice-president of the Republic; to RAFAEL BUSTAMANTE PEREZ Director of the Protection Programme of the Interior Ministry; to the persons responsible for protection at the Department of Administrative Security DAS, JAIME PINILLOS and ANCIZAR MARTÍNEZ and to different officers in the government of President Uribe.
We ask international organisations defending human rights and
democratic governments for your support and solidarity to continue our struggle
for the defence of human life and a dignified life. We will continue struggling
so that there is not impunity for the assassins of trade unionists, we will
continue struggling so that in the government-AUC negotiation there is
truth, justice and reparation and not a cloak of complicity and
impunity as the government tries to have it, and we will struggle so that victims
and their family members are taken into account and listened to.
Only you will give support to our struggle so that we are not alone.
“THE MACHINERY OF FORGETTING TRIES WITHIN HOURS TO RUB OUT THE CRIMINAL HISTORY, THE HISTORY OF GENOCIDE, THE HISTORY OF A PROGRESS BATHED IN BLOOD, THE HISTORY OF A DEMOCRACY CEMENTED IN IMPUNITY – WOMEN, MEN, DREAMS AND HOPES ANNIHILATED BY THE TERRORISM OF THE STATE ”.
DOMINGO TOVAR ARRIETA
Director Human Rights Department
Bogotá, D. C, 11th March 2005
* in Spanish this is a play on words: ‘para’ means both stop and
paramilitary.
Colombia Solidarity Campaign adds:
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Send immediate protests to:
Presidencia de la República
Dr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Cra. 8 No..7-26, Palacio de Nariño, Santa fe
de
Bogotá.
Fax: (+57 1) 566.20.71 E-mail: auribe@presidencia.gov.co ;
[OR to better send e-mail to Uribe login to
http://www.presidencia.gov.co
and click on ESCRIBALE AL PRESIDENTE at the bottom of the page.
Para enviar correo al Sr Presidente, dirmjase a la pagina
Web:http://www.presidencia.gov.co y haga clic en ESCRIBALE AL PRESIDENTE
ubicado en la parte inferior, al final de la pagina.]
Vicepresidencia de la República
Dr. Francisco Santos
E-mail:fsantos@presidencia.gov.co
And, in the UK, to:
Colombian Embassy (UK): mail@colombianembassy.co.uk
Bill Rammell rammellb@parliament.uk
With copies to:
CUT Human Rights Department: derechoshumanos@cut.org.co
And Colombia Solidarity Campaign: Colombia_sc@hotmail.com
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