Colombian Vice-President in Belfast

international | worker & community struggles and protests | press release Tuesday November 18, 2008 15:13 by éirígí PRO press at eirigi dot org

Human Rights Abuser Feted

éirígí spokesperson Daithí Mac an Mhaistír today (Tuesday) said that the presence of a senior member of the Colombian government in Belfast was highly inappropriate given the ongoing human rights abuses in the Latin American country.

The Colombian vice-president, Francisco Santos Calderon, was due to address a drugs conference in Belfast this afternoon.

Daithí said: “The Colombian government is one of the most ruthless and brutal in the world when it comes to dealing with those who are struggling to build a better society – its representatives have no moral authority to be speaking on any issue of importance.

“It is safe to say that Mr Calderon’s talk on the serious issue of the cocaine trade will not touch upon his government’s links with the right-wing death squads that make that trade possible.

“Colombia remains the most dangerous place in the world to be a trade unionist. An Amnesty International report issued in July of last year highlighted the fact that, during the past two decades, over 2,000 trade union activists have been killed, while 138 have been the victims of enforced disappearance. In more than 90 per cent of these cases, the people responsible for these atrocities have yet to be brought to justice.

“This violence has increased dramatically in 2008. From January 1 this year up until the end of August, 40 trade unionists were murdered, a figure already higher than the numbers for the entire year of 2007. Among those activists murdered were 15 trade union leaders. Over the past decade, the number of trade unionists killed in Colombia has been consistently greater than those killed in all other countries worldwide combined.

Daithí continued: “Human rights groups have shown that, during the current government’s six-year period in office, the Colombian military has been responsible for the extrajudicial executions of around 1,200 civilians, a figure that is almost twice the number killed in the period between 1996 and 2002.

“Amnesty International’s latest report documents an increase in the numbers of civilians killed by the Colombian military and calls for an end to all military aid to the regime.

“A substantial section of international opinion is beginning to recognise the record of the Colombian regime; hopefully Calderon’s welcome in Belfast will be limited to the PSNI personnel he will be sharing a platform with. That, at least, would be appropriate.”
ENDS.

Note to editor: éirígí is an Ireland-wide, socialist republican political party, formed in 2006 to provide a vehicle for the national, social and economic liberation of the people of Ireland.