by Lisa Haugaard
on February 17, 2009
"My father was a dreamer. He was a cheerful, generous man. He was our
friend and our hero, the man who helped us discover the world."
These are the words of Yessica Hoyos Morales, whose father, Jorge Darío
Hoyos Franco, a Colombian labor leader, was assassinated in 2001 by two
hired hitmen, as she testified to a hearing held February 12th by the
House Committee on Education and Labor, chaired by Representative
George Miller (D-CA).
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by Travis Wheeler and Lisa Haugaard
on January 12, 2009
As President Bush in the waning days of his administration bestows the
Presidential Medal of Freedom upon Colombian President Alvaro Uribe,
we'd like to nominate as LAWG Heroes of the Year 2008 the brave and
tireless Colombian human rights activists who are taking risks to end
the Colombian army's killings of civilians.
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by Travis Wheeler and Lisa Haugaard
on February 09, 2009
There have been some positive signals on human rights in just the first
three weeks of the Obama Administration. But since U.S. policy towards
Colombia and Latin America is not a priority for this administration, we
have to make sure that the United States is indeed standing up for
human rights by putting our energy into educating and cajoling our
representatives to support our values.
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by Travis Wheeler and Lisa Haugaard
on December 18, 2008
We're saddened to report that the spouse of an indigenous activist working in Cauca was killed when Colombian soldiers fired shots into his vehicle this past Tuesday. The killing of Edwin Legarda shows that despite recent firings of top military officials, the Colombian government is not doing enough to prevent new civilian killings by the army.
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by Lisa Haugaard and Travis Wheeler
on February 09, 2009
When we talk about Colombia, we often hear two reactions. "It's so complicated!" Or, "Why should I care. There are no good guys to support there." Well, as to the first, yes, it’s complicated. Even more than you know. But as to the second, there are few places on earth with more heroes
and heroines than Colombia.
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by Travis Wheeler
on November 17, 2008
To: Foreign Policy Aides
From: Lisa Haugaard
Although it was heartening to learn the news of the freeing of FARC kidnap victims in July, many other indicators of human rights in Colombia remain extremely troubling. The rate of internal displacement in Colombia accelerated in 2007 compared to the previous year, and remains at record-breaking levels in 2008, indicating that the war continues to rage in the countryside, brutally affecting the civilian population. Threats and attacks against human rights defenders continue, with assassinations of trade unionists increasing in 2008. Killings of civilians by the army escalated in 2007 and erupted into a major scandal in the last two months, forcing the government in October 2008 to announce long overdue dismissals of officers and resulting in the resignation of the head of the army. Paramilitary forces, despite the demobilization, exercise control in many parts of the country and threaten and abuse communities. Guerrillas are hard hit by army offensives but still exert control over territory, plant landmines, kidnap, and kill.
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