Declaración de apoyo a los Defensores de Derechos Humanos de Colombia
En los últimos meses, se ha registrado un alarmante incremento en los ataques y amenazas en contra de los defensores de derechos humanos y líderes de la sociedad civil colombiana. Las organizaciones de derechos humanos, asociaciones de víctimas, grupos indígenas, defensores de los derechos laborales y periodistas y medios independientes, todos ellos de prestigio internacional, han sido víctimas de asesinato y de amenazas de muerte a través de correo electrónico y de robos tanto en sus oficinas como en sus hogares aparentemente para encontrar información. Estamos sumamente preocupados por la seguridad de todos aquellos que están siendo acosados y amenazados. También nos preocupa la posibilidad de que esta ola de ataques contra la libertad de expresión coarte la capacidad de la sociedad civil colombiana de trabajar por la paz y lograr un mayor respeto por los derechos humanos. Instamos al gobierno colombiano y a nuestro propio gobierno en sus niveles más altos a unirse a nuestra preocupación por tales amenazas y a reconocer el trabajo que emprenden esos líderes civiles y sus organizaciones hacia la construcción y protección de una sociedad democrática.
Adam Isacson
Director of Programs
Center for International Policy
Viviana Krsticevic
Executive Director
Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL)
Heather Hanson
Executive Director
U.S. Office on Colombia
T. Michael McNulty, SJ
Justice and Peace Director
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
James R. Stormes SJ
Secretary for Social and International Ministries
Jesuit Conference
Mark L. Schneider
Sr. Vice President
International Crisis Group
Neil Hicks
Director of International Programs
Human Rights Defenders Program
Kristele Younes
Advocate
Refugees International
Lisa Haugaard
Executive Director
Latin America Working Group
Stephen Coats
Executive Director
U.S./Labor Education in the Americas Project
Barbara Gerlach
Colombia Liaison
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli
Senior Associate for Colombia and Haiti
Washington Office on Latin America
Susana Pimiento-Chamorro
Colombia Program Coordinator
Fellowship of Reconciliation, Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean
Rev. John L. McCullough
Executive Director and CEO
Church World Service
John I. Laun
President
Colombia Support Network
Erik Cooke
Program Associate
Witness for Peace
Anne Barstow
Coordinator of Colombia Programs
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
U.S. State Department
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary of State Rice,
We, the undersigned non-governmental organizations, write to express our profound concern and deepest condemnation of the recent massacre of eight civilians, including three children, in the hamlets of Mulatos and Resbalosa, a few miles from the peace community of San José de Apartadó, Colombia. In light of allegations of involvement by members of the Colombian military, it is essential that the U.S. government send a strong signal by insisting that an effective investigation be conducted by civilian authorities. The State Department must include this case in its evaluation of Colombian compliance with U.S. human rights conditions, and must refrain from certification until a credible investigation has been completed.
According to information received from the field, between February 21 and 22 Luis Eduardo Guerra, a well-known leader of the San José de Apartadó Peace Community, his eleven-year-old son and his companion were detained by armed men who identified themselves as belonging to the Colombian military. Alfonso Bolivar Tuberquía, a member of the Peace Council of the hamlet in Mulatos, and his family also disappeared. Several local people later discovered blood and human remains in two sites in the area.
On February 25, the Peace Community organized a fact-finding mission to the hamlets of Mulatos and Resbalosa. At the same time, a governmental judicial commission carried out an exhumation of the grave found on the farm of Mr. Tuberquía and found mutilated bodies (three adults and two children, aged six and two years old). In La Resbalosa, members of the community recognized the bodies of Luis Eduardo Guerra and his family. It is shocking that a community which is the recipient of provisional protection measures from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and for which the Colombian Constitutional Court requested effective protection measures in March 2004, would be subjected to such a brutal and cruel attack.
The judicial commission itself came under attack, resulting in the death of one policeman. Police sources allege that the attack on the commission was carried out by the FARC. We vigorously condemn the attack upon judicial authorities and call for a thorough investigation into this incident as well.
In light of the allegations of military involvement in the killing of members of the San Jose de Apartadó community, we ask that your office not certify Colombian compliance with the human rights conditions, until such time as the Colombian government has conducted a transparent, impartial, effective investigation into the massacre, and is proceeding to prosecute those responsible. Given the nature of the crimes, prosecution must take place within the civilian justice system.
In addition, the Department of State should undertake the following actions:
- Direct the U.S. Embassy to release a public statement condemning the massacre, expressing concern for the safety of the residents of the community and calling on the Colombian government to ensure that civilian judicial authorities conduct a full and impartial investigation into the killings of these eight persons;
--Insist that the Colombian Government take effective measures to ensure the safety of the residents of San José de Apartadó community and the Colombian non-governmental organizations who have denounced the crimes. Protective actions should be fully consulted with the community, as required by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights' provisional measures.
-Encourage the U.S. Ambassador to visit the community to express condolences on behalf of the people of the United States for the losses suffered, and to show support for the safety of the community.
Colombian and international human rights organizations have repeatedly opposed the certification of the human rights conditions because of continuing evidence of collaboration between sectors of the armed forces and paramilitaries, and because of evidence of human rights violations directly committed by members of the armed forces. Effective, impartial investigation and prosecution by civilian authorities in this new case is a minimally necessary step, but it should not be considered sufficient to justify compliance. The Department of State should thoroughly review the requirements for vigorous investigation and prosecution, and the severing of ties with paramilitaries, before again certifying compliance.
In closing, we ask that your office inform us as to the actions taken to ensure justice for Luis Eduardo Guerra, his family and colleagues.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Arriaga
Director for Government Relations
Amnesty International USA
Joy Olson
Executive Director
Washington Office on Latin America
José Miguel Vivanco
Executive Director for the Americas
Human Rights Watch
James R. Stormes SJ
Secretary, Social and International Ministries
Jesuit Conference
Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory
Director, Washington Office
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Pat Clark
Executive Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Cristina Espinel and Kelleen Corrigan
Co-Chairs
Colombia Human Rights Committee
Adam Isacson
Program Director
Center for International Policy
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy
Executive Director
Witness for Peace
Mary Ellen McNish
General Secretary
American Friends Service Committee
Todd Howland
Director
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights
Kenneth H. Bacon
President
Refugees International
Patricia Burkhardt
Legislative Officer
Church Women United
Neil Jeffery
Executive Director
U.S. Office on Colombia
Saul Murcia
Co-Director Latin America & Caribbean
Mennonite Central Committee
Shannon Lockhart
Administrator
Sister Parish, Inc.
Barbara Gerlach
Colombia Liaison
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
Kathryn Wolford
President
Lutheran World Relief
Max L. Gimbel
Director of Research
Guatemala Human Rights Commission
Phil Jones
Director
Church of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office
Gary L. Cozette
Director
Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America
Martha Pierce
Director
Chicago Metropolitan Sanctuary Alliance
Ted Lewis
Human Rights Program Director
Global Exchange
Bob Schwartz
Executive Director
Disarm Education Fund
Tom Bamat
Representative for Colombia
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Marino Córdoba
Executive Director
Afrodes–USA
Pam Bowman
Legislative Coordinator
School of the Americas Watch
Terry Collingsworth
Executive Director
International Labor Rights Fund
Peter Laarman
Executive Director
Progressive Christians Uniting
Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock
Director
Faith Voices for the Common Good
To reply to this letter, respond to: Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director, Latin America Working Group, 424 C Street NE, Washington, DC 20002.
Cc: Ambassador William Burns, Acting Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs
Roger Noriega, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs
Ambassador Michael Kozak, Acting Assistant Secretary of State,
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Danika Walters, Program Officer, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Lisa Bobby Hughes Schreiber, Director, Office of Andean Affairs
Heather Merritt, Colombia Desk Officer
Read more »
The Honorable Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
The State Department
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Rice,
We the undersigned non-governmental organizations of the United States wish to express our support for the donor conference in Cartagena. We consider the process initiated in London to be an extraordinary opportunity for the international community to support the Colombian people and institutions in their efforts to develop solutions to the country's severe problems, exacerbated by more that 40 years of armed conflict. In particular feel it is important to recognize the critical role of Colombian civil society in shaping the process, and the support that they have received from the G-24 group of international governments.
We welcome the possibility of new economic and social aid for Colombia to address the impact of the internal armed conflict. However we believe strongly that U.S. support to Colombia should be more than just financial aid; rather it should improve the security of all Colombians, strengthen the rule of law, increase respect for human rights and international humanitarian law and assist in the search for a negotiated settlement to the conflict. We feel that support for the recommendations of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as set out in the London declaration is the most appropriate and effective way to achieve these goals.
While we look favorably on any advance in the peace process, we are seriously concerned that without a legal framework in place the present demobilization plans are effectively granting impunity to AUC members responsible for gross human rights violations and failing to dismantle paramilitary structures. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in a recent report confirmed that the "demobilisation mechanisms have not been accompanied by comprehensive measures to provide relief to the victims of the violence or to clarify the many criminal acts that remain in impunity...therefore the factors generating the conflict in large measure persist"
In particular, we urge that the final declaration
1) recognize the process established in London in July 2003;
2) recognize the critical role of civil society in shaping the future of Colombia, and provide mechanisms by which the G-24 group can continue to support dialogue between the Colombian authorities and civil society;
3) recognize the fundamental contribution of the United Nations in developing solutions to the conflict, particularly through the work of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Secretary General's Special Representative;
4) urge the Colombian Government to make demonstrable and timely progress in complying with the recommendations of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;
5) establish as a fundamental prerequisite to any international funding for the paramilitary demobilization process the inclusion of a legal framework finalized by the Colombian Congress, that satisfies requirements for truth, justice and reparation in compliance with standards and principles of international law, accompanied by an appropriate mechanism for effective implementation and verification;
6) explicitly recognize the existence of an armed conflict in Colombia, requiring full observance of international humanitarian law.
We appreciate your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Neil Jeffery
Executive Director
U.S. Office on Colombia
Joy Olson
Executive Director
Washington Office on Latin America
Adam Isacson
Director of Programs
Center for International Policy
Lisa Haugaard
Executive Director
Latin America Working Group *
Stephen Coats
Executive Director
U.S./Labor Education in the Americas Project
Krisanne Vaillancourt
Executive Director
Witness for Peace
British Robinson
National Director of Social and International Ministries
Jesuit Conference USA
Cristina Espinel and Kelleen Corrigan
Co-Chairs
Colombia Human Rights Committee
Barbara Gerlach
Colombia Liaison
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
Jacqueline Baker
Legislative Coordinator
School of the Americas Watch
Sr. Marta Inés Toro, OP
Justice and Peace Coordinator
Dominican Sisters of the Presentation
* Organization designated for identification purposes only
Cc
Andrew Natsios, Administrator, United States Agency for International Development
Michael Kozak, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, United States Department of State
Danika Walters, Program Officer, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, United States Department of State
Heather Merritt, Colombia Desk Officer, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, United States Department of State
Senator Christopher Dodd
Senator Russell Feingold
Senator Patrick Leahy
Senator Mitch McConnell
Representative Jim Kolbe
Representative Nita M. Lowey
Representative James P. McGovern
Read more »
Dear President Bush and Senator Kerry:
As representatives of a broad range of U.S. churches and faith communities we are calling upon you as a presidential candidate to commit to a serious reassessment of current U.S. policy towards Colombia. We believe it is time to envision a new strategy to respond to the needs of both nations and to work for the peace and security of our respective peoples.
Colombia is one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a religious leader, a promoter of peace, or human rights defender. The danger is consistently brought to light as astonishing numbers of religious and civil society leaders are assassinated, threatened and detained. The suffering of the Colombian churches and their call to us for assistance and solidarity compel us to appeal to you to seriously consider recommendations for a new U.S. policy toward Colombia that are outlined below.
We believe it is of great importance for the United States to remain engaged with the government of Colombia and Colombian civil society organizations, but to do so in a manner that will support aspirations for a just and sustainable peace as well as effectively address our shared concerns about drug production and consumption.
In this light, we respectfully urge you to include the following recommendations in a new vision for U.S. policy towards Colombia:
I. A greater commitment to a negotiated, political path towards peace.
After forty years of an ever-escalating armed conflict that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands, Colombian Catholic and Protestant church representatives have been clear that a negotiated political process, though difficult and contentious, is essential to the resolution of the current conflict. Every effort should be made to achieve a politically negotiated peace process inclusive of civil society participation, and based upon verification of ‘truth, justice and the provision of reparations for the victims of war.’
We call upon both Presidential campaigns to make a greater commitment to support Colombian and international efforts towards a negotiated resolution of the conflict in Colombia.
II. Increased attention to social concerns as a preferred long-term strategy to sustainable peace.
The conflict in Colombia and involvement of peasant farmers in coca production is deeply rooted in social and economic exclusion of many of its citizens. Many of the areas most in conflict have little or no social infrastructure or viable economic options. Strategies that rely primarily on military aid or fumigation, and provide only limited social investment in local communities, will not create lasting change.
The United States can make a significant positive contribution to long-term peace and stability in Colombia by shifting the focus of its foreign aid towards a much greater emphasis on effective social development. There are an increasing number of initiatives throughout the country of local governments, churches, and civil society coming together to create lasting alternatives to overt violence and the inequality and poverty that have sustained it. These initiatives, and the communities they serve, could greatly benefit from development funding – with long-term benefit for thousands of people.
The situation of internal displacement in Colombia is a crisis of staggering proportions – and one of the most serious in the world. Almost three million people have been displaced from their homes since 1985. Churches locally and internationally are responding to the great needs of Colombia’s internally displaced, a group that most aptly represents the human face of suffering in the country. We are grateful for the attention provided to refugees and internally displaced persons through U.S. aid, and see this as a positive contribution of U.S. policy toward Colombia. Yet much more remains to be done.
We call for a greater proportion of the U.S. aid to Colombia to be dedicated to investment in sustainable development, humanitarian aid and the defense of human rights.
III. Humane drug policies that meet the needs of those most directly impacted.
We share a deep concern about the consumption and production of illicit drugs. Billions of dollars have been spent on fumigation and interdiction yet, drug consumption continues unabated in our communities, drug offenses have exploded the prison populations, and treatment programs go under funded. This approach is not working.
The churches and faith communities in the U.S. and Colombia are painfully aware of the devastation of drugs in the lives of individuals, families and our communities. We see the end results every day and minister to affected families. It is precisely because we are so well versed in the human costs of the drug crisis that we are well placed to call for effective drug policies that will have lasting impact in all of our communities.
As the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s January 2004 Pulse Check Study of drug abuse in 25 U.S. cities states: powder and crack cocaine remains readily available and there are no clear positive trends on price and purity. As church organizations, we do not claim expertise on the best demand reduction strategies, but we urge you to shift the focus of current drug policy.
We call for increased drug treatment programs and realistic, pragmatic prevention strategies as a much more sustainable and humane way to achieve the goal of reducing drug abuse in the United States.
Thank you for your attention to the great courage and great needs of our Colombian brothers and sisters. We hope to work with you as we seek durable solutions for all affected communities.
Signed,
National Heads of Communion and Faith-Based Organizations
Rev. John L. McCullough
Executive Director and CEO
Church World Service
Rev. Dr. Robert Edgar
General Secretary
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA
Rev. Ronald D. Witherup, S.S.
President
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Kathryn Wolford
President
Lutheran World Relief
Bruce Wilkinson
Senior Vice President
International Programs Group
World Vision
Rev. John Thomas
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ
The Reverend Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
James Winkler
General Secretary
General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church
The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church, USA
Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick
Stated Clerk
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Rosanne Rustemeyer, SSND
Executive Director
U.S. Catholic Mission Association
Ken Hackett
President
Catholic Relief Services
Rev. Kenneth Gavin, S.J.
National Director
Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
Gail E. Mengel
National Board Minister
Church Women United
Carolyn Krebs, OP
President
Dominican Leadership
Marie Dennis
Director
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Joe Volk
Executive Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Jim Wallis
Editor
Sojourners Magazine
Arlene DiMarco
Vice President
National Council of Catholic Women
Harrisburg, PA
Maureen Fenlon, OP
National Coordinator
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Rev. Ron Stief
Minister and Team Leader
Washington Office
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
J. Daryl Byler
Director
Mennonite Central Committee, Washington Office
Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton
Auxiliary Bishop,
Archdiocese of Detroit
Detroit, MI
Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory
Director
Washington Office
Presbyterian Church, (USA)
US Jesuit Conference
Richard Parkins
Director
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Executive Council, Sisters of St. Francis
Brian Terrell
Executive Director
Catholic Peace Ministry
Des Moines, IA
Krisanne Vaillencourt
Executive Director
Witness for Peace
Patricia Clark
Executive Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation USA
Jim Atwood
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Sister Mary M McGlone
Executive Director,
FUVIRESE USA
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
Denver, CO
Dr. Monika K. Hellwig
President
Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
Washington, DC
Phil Reed, M.Afr.
Coordinator, Justice and Peace Office
North American Province
Society of Missionaries of Africa
Read more »
We, the undersigned organizations, are appalled by the June 15th massacre in La Gabarra, Colombia. Reports indicate that this was an unjustifiable attack targeting civilians, killing 34 and wounding 7. Although there is an ongoing investigation, witnesses and the Colombian authorities allege that Front 33 of the FARC is responsible for what the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bogotá has called a war crime.
We join with Colombian civil society organizations, the Colombian government, the United Nations and others in denouncing this attack in the strongest possible terms. Our deep-felt sympathies go out to the survivors and the families of the victims of this inexcusable violation of international humanitarian law.
We call on the Colombian government to carry out a thorough investigation to determine who is responsible and to bring the guilty parties to justice. We repeat our previous calls for all armed actors in Colombia to respect civilians in compliance with international humanitarian law. No political or social demands justify the targeting of civilians, which has become all too common in Colombia’s brutal internal conflict.
At the same time we reiterate our call on President Uribe to respect the vital role of national and international human rights groups in Colombia. Our work is essential to documenting human rights and international humanitarian law violations such as the La Gabarra massacre, and to ensuring justice for victims of human rights abuses.
Neil Jeffery
Executive Director
U.S. Office on Colombia
Kimberly Stanton
Deputy Director
Washington Office on Latin America
Sarah Ford
Director, Office of Public Policy
Lutheran World Relief
Saul Murcia
Co-Director
Latin America and Caribbean Programs
Mennonite Central Committee
Cristina Espinel and Barbara Gerlach
Co-Chairs
Colombia Human Rights Committee
Rev. Dr. Leonard B. Bjorkman
Co-Moderator
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Jacqueline Baker
Legislative Coordinator
School of the Americas Watch
Alexandra Arriaga
Director for Government Relations
Amnesty International-USA
Lisa Haugaard
Executive Director
Latin America Working Group *
Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory
Director, Washington Office
Presbyterian Church, (USA)
J. Gary Campbell
Parish Associate Minister
New York Ave. Presbyterian Church
Washington, D.C.
John Lindsay-Poland
Director
Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean
Fellowship of Reconciliation
James E. Atwood
National Capital Presbytery
* Organization designated for identification purposes only
Read more »
Dear Member of Congress,
As you act upon the President’s foreign aid request, we ask you to consider carefully the direction of Colombia policy. It is not the time to turn away, as Colombia is in the midst of a tremendous social, political and economic crisis. But three years after initial passage of Plan Colombia, it is time to assess the impact of US aid, and understand that significant changes are essential.
We ask the Congress to:
- Insist that the Colombian government end collusion between the Colombian armed forces and paramilitary forces responsible for severe human rights violations. Army tolerance for and involvement in paramilitary violations continues—and so does impunity for such crimes, as detailed by the United Nations’ and State Department’s March 2003 human rights reports. According to the State Department, "some members of the security forces actively collaborated with members of paramilitary groups—passing them through roadblocks, sharing intelligence, providing them with ammunition, and allegedly even joining their ranks while off duty." Remarkably little progress has been made since the passage of the first substantial aid package in 2000 to investigate, prosecute and sanction high-level military officials who face credible allegations of collusion with and tolerance of paramilitary forces. Indeed, the current Attorney General has removed diligent prosecutors and investigators from cases involving high-level army officials implicated in corruption and abuse. Moreover, the United Nations’ March 2003 report states that direct violations by the Colombian armed forces increased in 2002.
In an implicit recognition that Colombia was not meeting the human rights conditions Congress established, the FY2003 omnibus appropriations bill removed the conditions from 75% of military aid. This sent a disturbing message: if you perform poorly, we will lower our standards on human rights.
- Shift attention to the social side of the equation. As alternative development efforts barely begin to take root and the humanitarian crisis of Colombia’s internally displaced escalates, the administration proposes a decrease in the already inadequate social aid to Colombia (according to the International Affairs budget request summary for FY04, from $164 million requested for FY2003 to $150 million requested for FY2004).* The Congress should:
- Increase alternative development and phase out aerial fumigation. While the welcome drop in coca cultivation in Colombia was cited as an example of success of the aerial spraying program, 44% of the drop in the Putumayo region, the main focus of eradication efforts, was attributed by USAID statistics to manual eradication with alternative development. Many farmers who were fumigated and not provided aid of any kind—either emergency food aid or crop substitution programs—moved to neighboring provinces to grow illicit crops once more. Yet aerial fumigation far outpaces alternative development: the United States sprayed over 122,000 hectares in 2002 alone while promoting alternative development on 24,550 hectares from 2001 to the present. Manual eradication accompanied by alternative development is a more humane and effective response.
- Increase aid to the displaced and insist on better protection and assistance to the displaced by the Colombian government. The number of people displaced by political violence increased dramatically to 412,000 displaced during 2002, with Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations strongly affected, according to the respected Colombian nongovernmental agency CODHES. The Colombian government’s “early warning system” which, with US funding, is supposed to protect communities and prevent displacement, has functioned poorly as a protection mechanism. Although the system issues numerous alerts, it rarely results in effective intervention to protect endangered communities. The Colombian government by law is supposed to provide three months of assistance, which is inadequate for families to rebuild their lives. However, many do not receive even this limited aid. Moreover, the Uribe administration has embarked upon a policy of returning people to their land regardless of risky security conditions. The US government should insist that the Colombian government increase the length and quantity of humanitarian aid to the displaced, adhere to a policy of voluntary returns in consultation with communities, and improve its response to alerts from at-risk communities. In addition, the United States should increase its aid programs for displaced people.
- Insist that security measures do not undermine the democracy they seek to protect. The Uribe administration, in its efforts to strengthen security, has introduced measures that reduce democratic rights and constitutional guarantees. These included emergency measures that permitted arrests, searches, and wiretaps without warrants. These expanded powers have already been used in questionable ways to carry out arbitrary detentions and to search the offices of nongovernmental organizations engaged in legitimate civic activity. When these measures were struck down by Colombia’s constitutional court, the Uribe administration introduced a package of constitutional reforms into the Colombian legislature which would grant the military the same powers. The US government should insist that measures to increase security do not undermine basic democratic rights and guarantees.
- Call upon the Colombian government to increase efforts to protect threatened labor leaders, religious leaders and human rights defenders. Colombia continues to lead the world in assassinations of labor leaders, while human rights defenders, religious leaders and other civil society leaders are threatened and killed with frightening regularity by paramilitaries and guerrillas. The US government should press the Colombian government for progress in investigating and prosecuting those responsible for such threats and attacks. The US government should continue to fund the Colombian government’s program to protect at-risk labor and human rights leaders, but must insist upon improvements in this program, which has been hampered by bureaucratic delays. Moreover, the US government should insist that the Colombian government take actions to sanction civilian and military officials who endanger civil society leaders by publicly equating nongovernmental organizations with guerrilla forces–as high-level officials have done recently.
- Step back from escalating military involvement. US military aid to Colombia has spiraled from $100 million in 1998 to $600 million this year. More US troops are on Colombian soil than ever before (almost 400). Last year, Congress expanded the military-aid mission beyond the drug war, to something resembling Central-America-style counterinsurgency. Yet after $2.5 billion since 2000—80 percent of it for Colombia’s military and police—there has been no change in the availability of drugs in the United States. Colombia’s violence has only intensified, including in Putumayo and Arauca, the areas of greatest US and Colombian security focus. Despite repeated requests from Congress, the administration has been unable to articulate a coherent vision of its goals for Colombia or how it plans to use US resources to achieve them. Before getting more deeply involved without sufficient debate, we urge the Congress to consider the complexity, danger and dimension of Colombia’s conflict. Faced with what could become an enormous, open-ended commitment, Congress should question whether an overwhelmingly military strategy can ever succeed. It is time to shift resources from security assistance toward eliminating the causes of violence by fostering rural development, economic opportunity, and civilian, democratic governance.
- Adequately fund effective drug treatment and prevention programs in the United States. US eradication efforts chase drug production from one province of Colombia to another, from one Andean country to the next. Making substance-abuse treatment available for all who seek it will help address the problem of drugs at home and lessen the profits that fuel violence in Colombia.
We urge you to consider taking these important steps to ensure US policy towards Colombia actually accomplishes its stated goals, including combating the problem of drugs and strengthening human rights, the justice system, and democratic institutions in Colombia.
Sincerely,
Kathryn Wolford
President
Lutheran World Relief
Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory
Director, Washington Office
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Patricia Forner
Advisor, Public Policy and Advocacy for Latin America and the Caribbean
World Vision
Kenneth Hackett
Executive Director
Catholic Relief Services
C. Richard Parkins
Director
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Adam Isacson
Director of Programs
Center for International Policy
Bill Spencer
Executive Director
Washington Office on Latin America
Charles Currie, S.J.
President
Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
Rev. Ruth Chavez Wallace
Acting Executive & Program Associate for Latin America and the Caribbean
United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada
Rev. Ron Stief
Minister and Team Leader
Washington DC Office
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
Brenda Girton-Mitchell
Associate General Secretary for Public Policy
National Council of Churches
Neil Jeffrey
Executive Director
US Office on Colombia
Daniel Kovalik
Assistant General Counsel
United Steelworkers of America, AFL-CIO/CLC
Ed Clark
Executive Vice President
UNITE
Stan DeBoe, O.S.S.T.
Director of Justice & Peace
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Matthew Wade S.M.
Associate Director
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Natalia Cardona
Latin America Caribbean Program
American Friends Service Committee
Saul Murcia
Co-Director, Latin America and Caribbean Program
Mennonite Central Committee
Margaret Swedish
Director
Religious Task Force on Central America & Mexico
Stephen Coats
Executive Director
US/Labor Education in the Americas Project
Todd Howland
Director
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights
Phil Anderson
Director
Guatemala Human Rights Commission-USA
Rev. Jerrye G. Champion
National Board President
Church Women United
Brian R. Hinman
Washington Representative
Church World Service
Marie Dennis
Director
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Ellen L. Lutz
Executive Director
Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
Tufts University
Joe Volk
Executive Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Patricia Krommer C.S.J. and Rev. Chris Ponnet
Co-Directors
Pax Christi USA, Los Angeles Chapter
Laura M. Furst
National Organizer
Committee for Inter-American Human Rights
Wes Callender
Director
Voices on the Border
Terry Collingsworth
Executive Director
International Labor Rights Fund
Melinda St. Louis
Advocacy and Campaigns Coordinator
Witness for Peace
School of the Americas Watch
Cristina Espinel and Barbara Gerlach
Co-Chairs
Colombia Human Rights Committee
Kevin Martin
Executive Director
Peace Action
Sanho Tree
Director
Drug Policy Project
Institute for Policy Studies
Rev. James E. Atwood
L. William Yolton
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Roberto Pagán
President
Sindicato Puertorriqueño de Trabajadores/SEIU
John Lindsay-Poland
Coordinator
Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean
Fellowship of Reconciliation
*Note: There is a lack of clarity regarding actual numbers of social aid for Colombia. Almost all social aid for Colombia comes from the Andean Counternarcotics Initiative, under INL, listed as "alternative development/institution building" in the International Affairs budget request summary for FY2004. That document lists a decline from $164 million requested for FY2003 to $150 million requested for FY2004 (p. 68). AID's Colombia request remains nearly constant, from $151 million in FY2003 to $150 million in FY2004. However, since other agencies besides AID draw from the ACI "alternative development/ institution building" account, a decline in that account suggests that the AID request is unlikely to be fully funded. In FY03, for example, ACI funded AID, PRM (which includes important emergency assistance to displaced persons and refugees that supplements AID's longer-term aid to the displaced), DoJ, and INL programs considered "soft aid." It appears that AID Colombia programs were funded at approximately $117 million for FY03. Thus a decline in the ACI "alternative development/institution building" account could lead to less assistance for alternative development, aid to the displaced and other social aid.
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