July 17, 2006

The Colombian government has implied that it is planning to severely limit the role of the UN human rights office (the UNHCHR) in Bogotá.

In Colombia, where massacres, displacement and other violence by armed actors are all too common, the role of the UN human rights office is extremely important. We can’t let the Colombian government shut out this crucial, independent voice.

The United States has considerable influence in Colombia and should put pressure on President Uribe to allow the full UNHCHR mandate to be renewed. Reps. Jim Leach (R-IA) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) are co-sponsoring a congressional letter to the State Department, asking Secretary Rice to do just that.

Take Action! Call your representative in the House this week to ask him/her to help renew the full mandate of the UN human rights office in Colombia. Tell your representative that s/he should sign the bipartisan letter being circulated by Reps. Leach and McGovern.

Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to be connected. Ask to speak with the foreign policy aide. It’s okay leave a message if the aide is not available. Here’s a sample script for your call:

“I am calling from ______[your town or city] as a constituent of Rep. _________. I would like him/her to sign the bipartisan letter being circulated by Reps. Leach and McGovern that encourages the full renewal of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights mandate in Colombia. The Colombian government has implied that it wants to weaken the role of the UN there. But the UN human rights office is one of the most important and trustworthy sources of independent analysis of the human rights situation in war-torn Colombia. The United States should support the full presence of the UN in Colombia, and I would like Rep. _______ to sign the letter in support of it.”

Go to www.house.gov to find out who your representative is, or to learn more about the person that is representing you in Congress.

The UNHCHR has played an integral role during the last decade in monitoring violations of human rights by all armed actors in Colombia – guerrilla, paramilitary and military. The office offers technical support to the government, publicly denounces acts of violence and writes annual reports on the severity of the human rights situation in the country. According to credible press reports, President Uribe’s administration may try to put a gag on the UN office by not allowing it to make public statements or put out human rights reports. This move would greatly restrict the UNHCHR Colombia office.

You can read the congressional letter at: http://www.lawg.org/docs/un_colombia.pdf

To learn more about human rights in Colombia, and for links to UNHCHR annual Colombia reports, see LAWG’s website: http://www.lawg.org/countries/colombia/explore_hr.htm.