Uribe seeks Farc hostage talks

[Gerrry]

JJCarroll

I commend, as you must, the willingess of the Colombian government to allow the UNHRC at least three offices in the country and to generally allow the to operate freely.

Amnesty:
Justicia y Paz logo
© AI

The judicial system in Colombia is being misused to stigmatize and harass human rights defenders in order to prevent them from carrying out important human rights work.

Amnesty International has found that a number of human rights defenders have been detained or face detention on spurious criminal charges. Those under investigation or those already detained are frequently presented before the media as "subversive" or supporters of subversive groups. While defending themselves against these criminal charges, human rights defenders are often unable to carry out their work in defence of human rights.

A prominent example of the misuse of the judicial system involves accusations of "corruption" and "rebellion" against members of the Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz, Inter-ecclesiastical Justice and Peace Commission. Justice and Peace is a well-respected human rights NGO which documents and files legal complaints about human rights violations in a number of regions in the country.

Amnesty International is concerned that the charges against members of Justice and Peace are politically motivated in order to discredit and therefore silence the work of Justice and Peace and detract attention from serious cases of abuse exposed by the organization

[/quote]

[Gerrry]

JJCarroll:

But I believe the Colombian government is making progressive steps to solve the problems created by 40 years of terrorism from FARC.

Heres another link for the United Nations HRC. It will help put the above statement in context.

http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/ ... penElement

[Gerrry]

Dont think that link above is working. Try amd go to this first


http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?c=40&su=50


Then go down the page to:

Written statement submitted by the Colombian Commission of Jurists (CCJ) I think it is the 8th one down.

Heres a flavour of what they say:

DECLARATION BY COLOMBIAN NGOS AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS
During 2004, the human rights situation in Colombia worsened: there is still a great
number of violations of the rights to life and to personal integrity and of cases
allegedly committed by the Armed Forces; all of the combatants persist in IHL
violations; arbitrary detentions increased; kidnapping is practiced on a large scale; and
forced displacement is still one the most serious violations. Poverty and inequality
levels have significantly increased. The rights to education, health, social security,
work, and a healthy environment are not guaranteed to all of the population. The
prevalence of military spending and external debt payment has negative repercussions
on economic, social, and cultural rights.
International human rights protection bodies have reiterated that an improvement can
only be seen if impunity is overcome, international recommendations are respected,
and the Social State under the rule of law is consolidated. Government policies are not
aimed at such purposes; they restrict fundamental guarantees and liberties, weaken the
exercise of legitimate political opposition, and disregard international obligations.
The Government still has not complied with most of the recommendations and has
acted counter to others, in spite of the commitments assumed before the Commission
on Human Rights and the international community. The work of the Office of the
HCHR is vital for the Government to immediately apply the recommendations.
1. Sociopolitical Violence
From January to June 2004, 2,513 persons lost their lives due to sociopolitical
violence; 1,354 died due to causes not directly related to the armed conflict.
Violations of the right to life directly attributed to State agents have tended to
increase: 139 extrajudicial executions or forced disappearances in the first semester of
2004, as compared to 184 cases during all 2003.
From January to June 2004, more than 183 persons were forcedly disappeared. The
investigations of these violations have not had any significant progress. A visit of the
Working Group is important.
During 2004, 1,402 persons were kidnapped as follows, allegedly by: guerrilla
groups, 441; paramilitary groups, 128; common delinquents, 397; relatives, 59;
unidentified perpetrators, 377.
From August 2002 through August 2004, more than 6,411 persons were arbitrarily
detained. There were systematic violations of the right to personal liberty and the right
to due process. Many combatants who had re-entered society and informants were
used to falsely accuse persons of being terrorists and rebels.
Torture is systematic. During the first semester of 2004, 96 persons were tortured.
There are no guarantees of protection when denouncing cases of torture and often
judicial and disciplinary authorities omit investigating them. The Government has
disregarded the recommendations made by the Committee against Torture

From August 2002 through August 2004, 33 human rights defenders were murdered
or forcibly disappeared, the highest rate in eight years. The President persists in
presenting NGOs as a threat. Not only did he not rectify the accusations made against
them in 2003, but also ratified and complemented them: he threatened to deport
International Peace Brigade members and accused Amnesty International of
legitimizing terrorism.

Also move down another 5 topics and you will come across this one.


Written statement submitted by the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)

Heres a small flavourof this one

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN THE UNION MOVEMENT DEMANDS BY ILO
THE URGENT CREATION OF A COMMISSION OF IT INTERVIEWS IN
COLOMBIA
The serious humanitarian crisis that confronts today the Colombian union movement,
although it is certain this has become worse in the current government presided over
by the President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, it is not new, neither it is of the situation.
It has been the historical constant in Colombia from the slaughter of the banana ones
in 1928 when the government of that then, as the one of now, was equally militarist
and completely surrendered to the verdicts of the political hegemony of the United
States.
As a clear genocide this is lately representing this situation of scenario of state
terrorism with the annihilation of about four thousand union leader in the last decade,
by means of extrajudicial executions, selective murders sometimes and other
indiscriminate one, permanent criminals attacked, displaced forces, threatened,
detainees, pursued, threaded and exiles in reason of to be union and to fight for the
defense of the rights of the workers and of the citizens, being violated the freedom
union precept clearly in the Political Constitution and in the Agreements and
international Treaties subscribed by the Colombian state.

[Gerrry]

JJCarroll:

But I believe the Colombian government is making progressive steps to solve the problems created by 40 years of terrorism from FARC.

JJ you do know thats an opinion you after expressing. Are you sure you know enough about this to give one considering your reluctance to give an opinion on whether the Gardai should arrest the Colombia 3 to allow the courts make a judgement on either estradition or seerving their sentences here or whatever? :wink:

[Gerrry]

JJCarroll:

But I believe the Colombian government is making progressive steps to solve the problems created by 40 years of terrorism from FARC.

Heres another good link fo rmore info on the conflict

http://www.justiceforcolombia.org/pdfs% ... azine6.pdf

Go to page 18 for some info on massacres by the Colombian regime and defence of such massacres by teh Colombian President

Heres a flavour

On 21st February this year the 11th Mobile Brigade of the Colombian armed forces abducted
Luis Eduardo Guerra a leader of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó along with
seven other members of that community.These included women, children and a baby of
eighteen months.Two days later the bodies were found near the community.They had been
hacked to death with machetes and left for other community members to find. ......

However
justice is difficult to achieve whilst the
military and paramilitaries threaten and
assassinate community members that testify
against them. Even those who spoke out
publicly about the massacre, such as journalist
Hollman Morris and former mayor of
Apartadó (the nearest large town) Gloria
Cuartas, have received death threats.