Colombia
28.07.00
Urgent Interventions
Colombia: various acts of violence carried out by paramilitary groups, including the extrajudicial execution of five peasants
Case COL 280700
The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Colombia.
Brief description of the situation:
The International Secretariat of the OMCT was informed of various acts of violence carried out by paramilitary groups, including the extrajudicial execution of five peasants, namely: Mr Alberto Ibarra Ibarra, Juan Alonso Montoya Ortíz, Adilio de Jesús Montoya Ruíz, Luciano Urán and a minor, Willintong de Jesús Rivera Ibarra, in Carmen de Atrato, Department of Chocó and of Mr Teófilo Torres and his son, a minor, Darío Torres in San Pablo, Bolívar, a region where the rest of the population has suffered ill-treatment, arson, forced disappearances and subsequent isolation of over three thousand (3000) inhabitants in the south of Bolivar.
According to the Foundation Committee of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, a member organisation of the OMCT network, the most serious cases have occurred since Saturday July 15th 2000 as intense fighting has taken place between paramilitary and guerrilleros of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in the villages of Aguas Lindas and Vallecito, of the municipality of San Pablo, and the village of El Paraiso, of the municipality of Simitì in the South of the Department of Bolivar.
According to information the paramilitary ill-treated the inhabitants of the localities mentioned above, accusing them of co-operating with the guerrilla as a result of which the displaced persons sought temporary settlement in the Vereda El Diamante where the paramilitary arrived on July 19th. This led to the displacement of almost seven hundred families who had been living there and had to remove themselves into the mountains together with approximately three thousand five hundred persons fleeing from the villages of El Paraiso, Aguas Lindas and Vallecito.
Reports also state that on Friday 21st July 2000, the paramilitary penetrated into the rural zone of the municipality of Santa Rosa as a result of which about 150 persons moved to the urban areas of the municipality and, according to the Defensoria del Pueblo, it is expected that nearly 1'500 will subsequently arrive, fleeing from the fighting and the paramilitary aggression. Moreover, on Saturday 22nd July 2000 the paramilitary came to the village of El Vallecito. Not finding the inhabitants who had fled because of the intensity of the fighting, they set fire to about 40 houses, which represents practically the whole of the village.
According to the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners the displaced persons are in a grave situation and need humanitarian aid (food, tents, plastics, medicines, blankets) while the paramilitary have set up road blocks which prevent the arrival of aid and at the same time stop the entry or exit of the peasants to and from the area.
According to information, up to July 25th no humanitarian organisation had been able to bring in food, in spite of the concern expressed by human rights organisations, possibly because of the safety difficulties involved in reaching the areas concerned.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT shares the concern of the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners in view of the grave situation in which many of the displaced find themselves, including several women and many children and condemns these new acts of extreme violence, the persecution of the peasants from the South of Bolivar and the apparent impunity or lack of effective measures of protection on the part of government and national authorities to prevent such acts.
Action requested:
Please write to the Colombian authorities urging them to:
i. guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all inhabitants of the South of the Bolivar Department and the municipality of Carmen de Atrato in the Choco Department;
ii. order an immediate, thorough and impartial inquiry into the facts mentioned above in order to identify those responsible, bring them to justice and apply to them the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
iii. guarantee an adequate reparation mechanism for the families of Alberto Ibarra Ibarra, Juan Alonso Montoya Ortíz, Adilio de Jesús Montoya Ruíz, Luciano Urán, the minor Willintong de Jesús Rivera Ibarra and Teófilo Torres and the minor Darío Torres;
iv. give immediate effect to the recommendations of international and regional human rights organisations including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Commission for Human Rights, as well as the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights and the non-governmental human rights organisations;
v. guarantee respect for human rights and fundamental liberties throughout the country in conformity with national laws and international standards on human rights.
Addresses:
S.E. Andrés Pastrana Arango, Presidente de la República, Carrera 8 n°. 7-26, Palacio de Nariño, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 286 74 34; (+57 1) 286 68 42; (+57 1) 284 21 86
- Doctor Humberto de la Calle Lombana, Ministro del Interior, Ministerio de Gobierno, Cra. 8 n°. 8-09 SantaFe de Bogotá, Palacio de Nariño. Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 286 80 25
- Doctor Jaime Bernal Cuellar, Procurador General de la Nación, Carrera 5 n°. 15-80, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 342 97 23; (+57 1) 2817531
- Doctor Alfonso Gómez Méndez, Fiscal General de la Nación, Diagonal 22 B n°. 52-01, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 570 20 22.
- Doctor José Fernando Castro Caycedo, Defensor del Pueblo, Defensoría del Pueblo, Calle 55 n°. 10-32 Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 346 12 25
- Doctor Gustavo Bell, Consejería Presidencial de Derechos Humanos, Calle 7 n°. 6-54 Piso 3, Santa Fe de Bogotá, D. C. Telefax: (+57 1) 337 13 51
- General Fernando Tapias Stahelin, Comandante de las Fuerzas Militares, Avenida el Dorado, Cra. 52, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Telefax: (+57 1) 222 29 35
- Colombian diplomatic representatives in your respective countries.
Geneva, 28th July 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Colombia.
Brief description of the situation:
The International Secretariat of the OMCT was informed of various acts of violence carried out by paramilitary groups, including the extrajudicial execution of five peasants, namely: Mr Alberto Ibarra Ibarra, Juan Alonso Montoya Ortíz, Adilio de Jesús Montoya Ruíz, Luciano Urán and a minor, Willintong de Jesús Rivera Ibarra, in Carmen de Atrato, Department of Chocó and of Mr Teófilo Torres and his son, a minor, Darío Torres in San Pablo, Bolívar, a region where the rest of the population has suffered ill-treatment, arson, forced disappearances and subsequent isolation of over three thousand (3000) inhabitants in the south of Bolivar.
According to the Foundation Committee of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, a member organisation of the OMCT network, the most serious cases have occurred since Saturday July 15th 2000 as intense fighting has taken place between paramilitary and guerrilleros of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in the villages of Aguas Lindas and Vallecito, of the municipality of San Pablo, and the village of El Paraiso, of the municipality of Simitì in the South of the Department of Bolivar.
According to information the paramilitary ill-treated the inhabitants of the localities mentioned above, accusing them of co-operating with the guerrilla as a result of which the displaced persons sought temporary settlement in the Vereda El Diamante where the paramilitary arrived on July 19th. This led to the displacement of almost seven hundred families who had been living there and had to remove themselves into the mountains together with approximately three thousand five hundred persons fleeing from the villages of El Paraiso, Aguas Lindas and Vallecito.
Reports also state that on Friday 21st July 2000, the paramilitary penetrated into the rural zone of the municipality of Santa Rosa as a result of which about 150 persons moved to the urban areas of the municipality and, according to the Defensoria del Pueblo, it is expected that nearly 1'500 will subsequently arrive, fleeing from the fighting and the paramilitary aggression. Moreover, on Saturday 22nd July 2000 the paramilitary came to the village of El Vallecito. Not finding the inhabitants who had fled because of the intensity of the fighting, they set fire to about 40 houses, which represents practically the whole of the village.
According to the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners the displaced persons are in a grave situation and need humanitarian aid (food, tents, plastics, medicines, blankets) while the paramilitary have set up road blocks which prevent the arrival of aid and at the same time stop the entry or exit of the peasants to and from the area.
According to information, up to July 25th no humanitarian organisation had been able to bring in food, in spite of the concern expressed by human rights organisations, possibly because of the safety difficulties involved in reaching the areas concerned.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT shares the concern of the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners in view of the grave situation in which many of the displaced find themselves, including several women and many children and condemns these new acts of extreme violence, the persecution of the peasants from the South of Bolivar and the apparent impunity or lack of effective measures of protection on the part of government and national authorities to prevent such acts.
Action requested:
Please write to the Colombian authorities urging them to:
i. guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all inhabitants of the South of the Bolivar Department and the municipality of Carmen de Atrato in the Choco Department;
ii. order an immediate, thorough and impartial inquiry into the facts mentioned above in order to identify those responsible, bring them to justice and apply to them the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
iii. guarantee an adequate reparation mechanism for the families of Alberto Ibarra Ibarra, Juan Alonso Montoya Ortíz, Adilio de Jesús Montoya Ruíz, Luciano Urán, the minor Willintong de Jesús Rivera Ibarra and Teófilo Torres and the minor Darío Torres;
iv. give immediate effect to the recommendations of international and regional human rights organisations including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Commission for Human Rights, as well as the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights and the non-governmental human rights organisations;
v. guarantee respect for human rights and fundamental liberties throughout the country in conformity with national laws and international standards on human rights.
Addresses:
S.E. Andrés Pastrana Arango, Presidente de la República, Carrera 8 n°. 7-26, Palacio de Nariño, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 286 74 34; (+57 1) 286 68 42; (+57 1) 284 21 86
- Doctor Humberto de la Calle Lombana, Ministro del Interior, Ministerio de Gobierno, Cra. 8 n°. 8-09 SantaFe de Bogotá, Palacio de Nariño. Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 286 80 25
- Doctor Jaime Bernal Cuellar, Procurador General de la Nación, Carrera 5 n°. 15-80, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 342 97 23; (+57 1) 2817531
- Doctor Alfonso Gómez Méndez, Fiscal General de la Nación, Diagonal 22 B n°. 52-01, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 570 20 22.
- Doctor José Fernando Castro Caycedo, Defensor del Pueblo, Defensoría del Pueblo, Calle 55 n°. 10-32 Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 346 12 25
- Doctor Gustavo Bell, Consejería Presidencial de Derechos Humanos, Calle 7 n°. 6-54 Piso 3, Santa Fe de Bogotá, D. C. Telefax: (+57 1) 337 13 51
- General Fernando Tapias Stahelin, Comandante de las Fuerzas Militares, Avenida el Dorado, Cra. 52, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Telefax: (+57 1) 222 29 35
- Colombian diplomatic representatives in your respective countries.
Geneva, 28th July 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.