Colombian Army murders three Colombian trade unionists

international | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Friday August 06, 2004 15:48 by LASC - LASC info at lasc dot ie

Trade union movement in Arauca left without leaders

The latest action against the trade union movement in Colombia has been the murder of three trade unionists and the imprisonment of two others.

Colombian Army executes three leaders in Arauca (Colombia)

Samuel Morales and Raquel Castro Detained


FACTS:
Humanidad Vigente Corporación Jurídica denounces and energetically condemns the extrajudicial execution of HÉCTOR ALIRIO MARTÍNEZ, LEONEL GOYENECHE and JORGE PRIETO at the hands of the Colombian Army. These three historic leaders were under the protective measures scheme of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission.

Alirio Martínez was president of the National Peasants Association ADUC- Asociación Nacional de Usuarios Campesinos, Leonel Goyeneche was a member of the Executive Committee of United Confederation of Colombian Workers -CUT Arauca and Jorge Prieto belonged to the Executive Committee of the National Association of Hospital Workers -ANTHOC and the CUT. The three leaders were assassinated in an operation carried out this morning by the Revéis Pizarro Battalion of the Colombian Army in the hamlet of Caño Seco, in Saravena municipality.

SAMUEL MORALES, Presidente of the CUT in Arauca, and RAQUEL CASTRO, a member Arauca Teachers Association ?ASEDAR were both detained in the same operation.

These leaders have been spokesmen for the araucana community in the numerous mobilisations, marches, civil stoppages that have taken place in the face of military and paramilitary action against the population that has cost so many lives. At the same time they have led the continual and effective protests against the violation of human rights that took place in the bombing of the village of Santo Domingo in 1998.

The initial versions by the Reveiz Pizarro Mechanised Group reported that the operation had "put down" three people and captured three others.

Later, a few hours afterwards, the National Army claimed that the three leaders had attacked a military unit that was trying to rescue a kidnap victim and so they gave a military response, and the military claimed to have seized arms and munitions. They also signaled that they had started an investigation of the murder.

We are enormously concerned by this account as well as the competency of the militray judicial jurisdiction to carry out the investigation, given that there are already multiple cases in Colombia and especially in Arauca, in which the military authorities manipulate the evidence to hide their responsibility and put blame on the victims.

WE ASK:
Because of the above, we ask that you send messages immediately to the people listed below demanding that the Colombian Government urgently forms a Verification Commission composed of government officials and Human Rights NGOs that goe sto Arauca on 6 August to verify the facts and avoid tampering with evidence, and to guarantee an effective investigation.

- Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos y de DIH
Dr. Carlos Franco
Calle 7 N° 5-54
TEL: (+571) 336.03.11
FAX: (+57 1) 337.46.67
E- mail: cefranco@presidencia.gov.co
E-mail: fibarra@presidencia.gov

- Ministerio de Defensa Nacional
Dr. Jorge Alberto Uribe
El Dorado con Carrera. 52 CAN,
Bogotá.
Tel. (57 1) 315 01 11
Fax: (+57 1)222.18.74
E-mail: siden@mindefensa.gov.co, infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co, mdn@cable.net.co,

- Procuraduría General de la Nación
Dr. Edgardo José Maya Villazón
Carrera 5 No. 15-80
Santa Fé de Bogotá.
Tel: (57 1) 352 00 76
Fax: (+57 1)342.97.23
E-mail: anticorrupcion@presidencia.gov.co

- Fiscalía General de la Nación
Dr. Luis Camilo Osorio
Diagonal 22 B No.52-01
Santa fe de Bogotá.
Fax: (+571) 570 20 00
E-mail: contacto@fiscalia.gov.co; denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co

-Defensoría del Pueblo
Dr. Wolmar Pérez Ortiz.
Calle 55 No. 10-32
Santa Fe de Bogotá.
Tel: (57 1) 314 73 00
Fax: (+571) 640 04 91
E-mail:secretaria_privada@hotmail.com

- Presidencia de la República
Dr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez,
Cra. 8 No.7-26, Palacio de Nariño,

Bogotá.
Tel: (57 1) 562 93 00
Fax: (+57 1) 566.20.71
E-mail: auribe@presidencia.gov.co

UN Human Rights in Colombia
-Oficina en Colombia de la ONU (Derechos Humanos), delegación Nororiente colombiano.
Dra. Karen Sherlock
Tel: (57-7) 643 38 81, 657 26 47.
Fax: 1-6293637

Bucaramanga


COLOMBIA SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN ADDS:

Please also demand the immediate release of Samuel Morales and Raquel Castro. In your message please express concern for their safety and that they are not being tortured.


And, in the UK and Ireland send messages to :

Colombian Embassy (UK): mail@colombianembassy.co.uk

With a copy to the Colombia Solidarity Campaign at colombia_sc@hotmail.com

and Lasc info@lasc.ie