(Fwd) Call for 10th December Vigils Against State Terrorism in

["Gianni Zampieri" <zampieri.gg@libero.it>]

Spero sempre in qualche volonteroso traduttore. 
O forse c'è qualche italiana/o (o comitato) già in contatto ?

Gianni Zampieri - cdm



------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Mon, 19 Nov 2001 13:12:49 +0000
To:             	andy@tetrachoice.demon.co.uk
From:           	Andy Higginbottom <andy@tetrachoice.demon.co.uk>
Subject:        	Call for 10th December Vigils Against State Terrorism in Colombia

Dear Friend,

In this English language e-mail:

News of State Terrorism and Resistance From Colombia

1.      TRADE UNIONISTS ASSASSINATED
2.      STUDENTS KILLED IN ANTI-WAR PROTEST 
3.      BUENAVENTURA JOURNALIST AND NEPHEW ASSASSINATED
4.      OIL WORKERS ON STRIKE
5.      DISPLACED IN OCCUPATION

Call for Protest Vigils on 10th December, International Human Rights Day 


News of State Terrorism and Resistance From Colombia

TRADE UNIONISTS ASSASSINATED 

"On 9th November 2001 PEDRO CORDEO was assassinated in the main park in
Tuquerres, Nariño Department. He was a teacher and a member of the
Techers Union in Nariño SIMANA - CUT.

On 10th November 2001 comrade LUIS ALBERTO DELGADO died. He had been the
victim of an assassination attack the previous day in Tuquerres, Nariño
Department. He too was a teacher and a member of SIMANA - CUT.

On 11th November 2001 HOOVER DE JESÚS GALEANO was assassinated in the
city of Pereira, Risaralda Department. He was a worker at the Pereira
Energy Corporation, a great activist and a workers delegate for the
Decentralised Institutions Public Service Employees and Workers Union -
SINTRAEMSDES - CUT.   

In the last week the population of Nariño Department has been under
martial law and that 33 municipalities are isolated and held
incommunicado. 8 car bombs located on various roads and there are
thousands of displaced people. The government has not taken any real
measures to rescue the department and confront the approaching
humanitarian crisis, hence we urge your support through energetic
protests. 

129 trade unionists have been assassinated so far this year.

STUDENTS ASSASSINATED

On 8th November 2001, in Bogotá city, in the course of peaceful day of
protest by the students at Colombia National University, the anti-riot
police launched violent assaults to break up a march. This led to
disturbances with the result that student CARLOS GIOVANNI BLANCO, in his
second year studying medicine, was assassinated, 23 students were
wounded and an indeterminate number were detained.  

On 9th November 2001, in the city of Medellín, in Antioquia Department,
the students at Antioquia University made a peaceful protest repudiating
the death of Carlos Giovanni Blanco, with more assassinations. Two
students of Pharmacy, DAVID SANTIAGO JARAMILLO URREGO (23 years old) and
JUAN MANUEL JIMÉNEZ ESCOBAR (27 years old), were playing chess when the
two armed men entered into the education centre and shot them."

From CUT Human Rights Department     

STUDENT KILLED IN ANTI-WAR PROTEST
"CARLOS GEOVANNY BLANCO LEGUZAMO was studying medicine at Colombia
National University. A group of students were protesting the bombings in
Afghanistan when police responded to the demo with violence. A group of
students were confronting police forces who had invaded university
campus when Carlos was shot at around noon. Police commander denies
police are responsible for the shooting but a number of witnesses
confirm the shot came from behind police lines.

Police occupied the campus for the whole afternoon. By night a lot of
students were camping in the university and preparing protests for
Thursday. The University will be closed today and tomorrow. Reports of
this have yet to appear in Corporate media anywhere."

BUENAVENTURA JOURNALIST AND NEPHEW ASSASSINATED
"Hooded gunmen burst into the home of a veteran newspaper and radio
reporter and shot him to death as he and family members watched
television, officials said Thursday. 

Heriberto Cardenas was killed by four assailants Wednesday night in the
Pacific port of Buenaventura, 215 miles west of the capital. A nephew
also died and a brother of Cardenas was seriously wounded, police said. 
Authorities said the motive for the attack was unknown and there have
been no arrests. 

Cardenas had worked for Columbia's two main newspapers, El Tiempo and El
Espectador, and a radio station, but was semi-retired." Associated Press

OILWORKERS UNION ON STRIKE
USO, the oilworkers union in Colombia, was on strike for three days last
week from 14 - 16th November. The strike was against state persecution
of the union and especially against the detention of six of its leaders
on charges of 'rebellion' (see 'Colombia Solidarity'  bulletin for full
report). Messages of support should be sent to usonal@hotmail.com

DISPLACED PEOPLE TAKE ACTION
On 6th November a national mobilisation of peasant and displaced
people's organisations in Colombia carried out a series of peaceful
occupations of government human rights and social aid offices in Bogotá,
Bucaramanga and Medellin. They declared:

"We, the inhabitants and displaced people of Magdalena Medio, South
Bolívar, Barrancabermeja, of the metropolitan zone of Bucaramanga, of
Bogotá, of Antioquia and other regions of the country are at our wits
end in the face of repeated failure by the national government to fulfil
agreed commitments; in face of our abandonment ad repression by the
State in our towns and villages. 

We are tired of being deceived, of the sneers with which our protests of
the last ten years have been subjected. In the meantime our conditions
of life have deteriorated due to the economic and social sieges carried
out by the paramilitaries and the army blockading food and health care.
We have suffered massacres and forced displacement as a mechanism of the
state policies of terror and dirty war. Now there is the annihilation of
our economy by fumigations and the scorched earth policy called Plan
Colombia, which has destroyed hamlets, plundering and destroying the
people's goods. Today, as before, we return, obliged by circumstances to
demand that you fulfil previous commitments and that you realise the
imminent danger of death that we are in and that now you will deign to
resolve our problems."             

The police violently ejected the occupations in Bucaramanga and
Medellin, causing dozens of wounded and taking dozens of people into
detention.  Then at 4am on 16th November a further police action ejected
from the mayor's office in Chapinero the displaced people's team trying
to set up national negotiations.     

Send messages of support to: gloria cuartas <gloriacuartas@hotmail.com>


CALL FOR VIGILS AND PROTESTS TO HIGHLIGHT COLOMBIA ON 10TH DECEMBER

6pm-8pm 10th December 2001 INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY VIGIL  
DOWNING STREET, WHITEHALL, LONDON SW1 (nearest tube Westminster)
No More Paramilitary Massacres!   Stop Plan Colombia!
Yes to Human Rights! Peace with Social Justice!

To remember those whose lives have been taken or destroyed by state
sponsored terrorism and the systematic abuse of fundamental human rights
in Colombia. Please join us in showing solidarity with the victims of
these crimes. We call on the Colombian authorities to take immediate
action to stop the violations and to bring those responsible to justice. 
We will present a letter to 10 Downing Street, criticising the British
government's failure to condemn the brutal nature of the Colombian
regime and the Blair government's complicity in these human rights
violations due to its support for the US inspired Plan Colombia military
intervention. Please bring banners and candles.

Forty years of civil war and government repression means that Colombia
has one of the worst human rights records in the world:

· 129 trade unionists have been assassinated so far this year alone; 

· Over 3,000 assassinations of members of social movements last year;

· 2.5 million people internally displaced from the violence.

80% of these crimes are the work of government backed paramilitary death
squads.  Despite its abysmal human rights record, the Colombian
government continues to enjoy a cosy relationship with the US and
European governments.

On International Human Rights Day, we are asking you to join us in
condemning these crimes and demand basic human rights for the Colombian
people. Please take action by signing the attached postcard and
forwarding it to the Colombian ambassador to the UK. We call on people
all over Britain to mobilise solidarity with vigils in as many cities as
possible. We suggest that united, humanitarian events are organised.
Please contact us and we will try and put you in contact with others in
your area.

SEND AN ELECTRONIC PROTEST MESSAGE ON 10TH DECEMBER  to the UK Colombian
Ambassador.  Fax: 020 7581 1829  e-mail: colombia@colombia.demon.co.uk

NATIONAL CONFERENCE AND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 
The Colombia Solidarity Campaign has decided to hold a conference 
on ‘Plan Colombia - Opening the Door to the Multinationals’ and 
its AGM in London on the weekend of 23rd and 24th February 2002. 
Start planning now to attend these events. 

Join the Colombia Solidarity Campaign, PO Box 8446, London N17 6NZ.  
Tel: 07950 923 448  Email: colombia_sc@hotmail.com  
-- 
Andy Higginbottom
Co-ordinator
------- End of forwarded message -------
"Non temo le parole dei violenti,
mi preoccupa molto il silenzio degli onesti" (M.L.King)