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TITLE: Urgent Action: Help Protect Colombian Peace Community |
AUTHOR: |
ORG: CSN |
DATE: March 14, 2001 |
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The Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado, which has chosen to remain neutral in the Colombian conflict and to oppose the entry of all armed persons into the community, has been subjected to increased pressures by the Colombian military openly collaborating with paramilitary forces. From February 13, 2001 through March 1, 2001, military officers from the 17th Brigade of the Colombian Army appeared openly with known paramilitary members in the environs of San Jose, threatening Peace Community members and alleging that San Jose was a guerrilla community. Military units of the 17th Brigade supported and promoted the entry of paramilitary forces into San Jose March 5th. Less than two hours after an army encampment had dispersed near San Jose, paramilitaries from the same site entered San Jose and sought to burn down the Peace Community's store and storage building where two members of Peace Brigades International and other international observers witnessed their actions. The fire they set did not do much damage to the buildings, but fires they started elsewhere in the community burned down 13 houses and caused many peace community residents to be forced out of their homes. During the siege, the attackers announced that, "next time we're going after the women and the children." The Army and its paramilitary allies have made it clear to San Jose residents that they intend to force everyone out of the town and leave it a ghost town. In these actions two army officers, Col. William Hernandez and Capitan Ibarra, have been closely involved with troops under their command. It is clear that the Colombian Government has not effectively protected the Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado ever since it was declared a Peace Community on March 23, 1997. Even the support and presence of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Jan Shakowsky of Illinois and Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, who visited San Jose on February 18 of this year, has not deterred the military-paramilitary alliance from aggression against the Peace Community. Please write/fax/e-mail the following officials to: ? Express your concern for these threats to the Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado ? Urge the military to respect the community's neutrality ? Demand that Colombian officials pursue and arrest the illegal paramilitary forces and their leaders who have sought to end the Peace Community, most recently by burning down its homes and buildings and by threatening its residents. ? Request that all military officers who participated in the March 5 military/paramilitary siege be given a dishonorable discharge and that their U.S. visas be cancelled. CONTACT INFORMATION Local Officials in Apartado 1. General Pablo Alberto Rodriguez Laverde Commander, 17th Brigade Carepa, Antioquia, Colombia phone: 011-57-4-823-6844 2. Mayor Mario Agudelo Alcalde de Apartado phone: 011-57-4-828-0457 fax: 011-57-4-828-0175 U.S. Officials 3. Mari Dieterich Secretary for Human Rights U.S. Embassy in Colombia Phone: 011-57-1-315-0811 ext. 2451 or 011-57-1-315-2129 Fax: 011-57-1-315-2163 4. Secretary Colin Powell U.S. Secretary of State U.S. Department of State Washington, DC 20520 Phone: (202) 647-6575 Fax: (202) 647-7120 Colombian National Officials 5. Vice President Gustavo Bell Lemus Vice Presidente de la nacion, Consejeria Presidencial de Derechos Humanos, Calle 7 No 6-54 Piso 3, Santafe de Bogota 6. General Fernando Tapias Stahelin, Comandante de las Fuerzas Militares, Avenida el Dorado con Carrera52 Santafe de Bogota, Colombia Phone/Fax: 011-57-1-222-2935 Colombia Support Network P.O. Box 1505 Madison, WI 53701-1505 608/257-8753 (voice) 608/255-6621 (fax) e-mail: csn@igc.org END |