Date: Sat, 6 Jul 2002
JUST SAY NO to Álvaro Uribe Vélez - 89 Trade Unionists Assassinated

Colombia Solidarity Campaign
PICKET OF 10 DOWNING STREET
6-8pm 16th July 2002
on the eve of the visit by President elect Álvaro Uribe Vélez
to London, for discussions with Tony Blair

JUST SAY NO

NO to Narco Trafficking
NO to Paramilitary Deathsquads
NO to State Terror
NO to Human Rights Violations
NO to meeting Álvaro Uribe Vélez

The Colombian people suffer the worst human rights violations in the
western hemisphere. Army backed AUC paramilitary death squads have
unleashed a dirty war against the Colombian people, massacring about
7,000 unarmed civilians every year. There are over 2 million internal
refugees, displaced by state sponsored violence. All sections of the
community are at risk; trade unionists, students, teachers, health
workers, indigenous and black leaders, women's groups, human rights
defenders and peasant farmer communities have all been declared
legitimate military targets of this state sponsored terrorism.
Colombians know that this terrifying situation will deteriorate
following the election of Álvaro Uribe Vélez, candidate of the ultra
right, to the Presidency.

Carlos Castaño, leader of the AUC describes Uribe as "the man closest to
our philosophy". No wonder, Uribe's policies include:

· Opening negotiations with the paramilitaries as a first step to their
legalisation
· Restrictions on democratic opposition and possible abolition of
Congress
· The creation of a 1 million strong armed vigilante group
· The doubling of the size of the army
· Refusing to negotiate a peaceful solution with the guerilla movements
· Cutting already decimated health and education spending in favour of
spending on war and internal repression.

Uribe's election victory was described as a landslide, but taking into
account that 55% of registered voters abstained, the million spoilt
votes, and the millions more disenfranchised through forced
displacement, no more than one in five Colombians actually voted for
Uribe. Governments in North America and Europe say that they must deal
with him, as the democratically elected President of Colombia, but can
the Colombian system really claim to be democratic? Recent history shows
us that candidates and even entire parties who truly represent the
aspirations of the majority are systematically assassinated. Right or
wrong, the vast majority of Colombians choose to abstain, because they
see voting as giving a legitimacy to elections which they regard as
wholly illegitimate and undemocratic.

For these reasons, is the name of democracy and peace, we call on Tony
Blair to just say no to Álvaro Uribe Vélez. When Uribe comes to Europe
looking for funds and co-operation supposedly to fight drugs and terror,
we urge them to look at his past and his well documented links with drug
trafficking and paramilitary terrorism.

CV of Álvaro Uribe Vélez
------------------------
1952: Born in Medellin, Antioquia. His father is a close friend and
business associate of Fabio Ochoa, one of the leaders of the Medellin
cocaine cartel. Uribe Vélez's father was the subject of unsuccessful
extradition proceedings to face charges of drug trafficking in the USA.

1980-2: Appointed Director of Civil Aviation. Instrumental in the
consolidation of the Medellin cartel, issuing over 500 pilots licenses
and permission for 95 private airstrips to individuals with links to
drug trafficking. Lines his pockets to the tune of $550,000 through
phantom consulting contracts.

1982: Named as Mayor of Medellin, after his father donates $300,000 to
the election campaign of President Betancourt. He collaborates closely
with Pablo Escobar whose social projects front the Medellin cartel's
money laundering operations and allows Escobar to develop his public
image which leads to his election to Congress. Uribe is removed from the
position after only 4 months, following a scourge of officials linked to
drug trafficking, after he is spotted at a high level strategy meeting
of the Medellin cartel.

1986-94: As Senator of the Republic, he uses his position to sabotage
legislation that allows for the extradition of drug traffickers to the
USA. While a senator, his helicopter is found by the army waiting to
take off from a 500 hectare cocaine processing compound in the Amazon.
He claims that he sold the helicopter, but that the paperwork has not
come through. His farm "Guacharacas" becomes a paramilitary base, and
international human rights organisations claim it is the epicentre of
state wide violence. It is later torched by the ELN. He suffers further
embarrassment when he is caught borrowing Pablo Escobar's helicopter. He
claims he did not know who it belonged to. Uribe is an active
neoliberal, introducing an anti-union labour law, and social security
changes that have left the majority of Colombians without state support.

1995-97: As Governor of Antioquia, Uribe is an instrumental public
supporter of the CONVIVIR private security groups that he helped to set
up. These groups are universally recognised as legalised forms of
paramilitarism. Despite his denials, groups under his control are
responsible for numerous massacres and selected assassinations, forced
displacement and torture. Government reports speak of close
collaboration between CONVIVIR, paramilitaries and the army. He publicly
praises army officials accused of involvement in paramilitary massacres.

Uribe's personal secretary and long time political ally, Pedro Juan
Moreno Villa is investigated after 50 tonnes of potassium permanganate
(essential in the production of cocaine) is impounded by the DEA. Moreno
Villa has no license for these shipments. It emerges that he has sold at
least 20 tonnes of the chemical in Colombia to people with false names
and addresses. Nothing is done, but the DEA conclude that those who
control the potassium permanganate industry in Colombia, control the
global cocaine trade.

Coca Cola Day of Action
-----------------------
Picket 4.30pm Monday 22nd July
Colombian Embassy, 3 Hans Crescent, Knightsbridge (back of Harrods),
London SW1

NO MORE COCA COLA DEATH SQUADS!
END STATE IMPUNITY FOR PARAMILITARY TERROR!

Electronic Protest please send messages on 22nd July to World President
of Coca Cola Email: mail@na.cokecce.com and
the Embassy Email: mail@colombianembassy.co

Colombian Oil Workers Speak Out
-------------------------------
Two leaders of USO, the Colombian oilworkers union will be visiting
Britain 18th to 30th July.

Gilberto Torres was kidnapped and held by the paramilitaries for 6
weeks. Cesar Carillo is a former president of USO, which has lost 88
members to assassinations. They are available to speak to groups during
their stay and will be addressing a seminar 11am -5pm on Saturday 27th
July at CORAS, 161 Lambeth Walk, London SE11 (nearest tubes Lambeth
North and Vauxhall).

Donations Urgently Needed - Make Cheques Out To 'Colombia Solidarity
Campaign' and send to:

For more information about Colombia, or to join the Colombia Solidarity
Campaign, contact us at PO Box 8446, London N17 6NZ. Tel 07950 923448:
email colombia_sc@hotmail.com

THE ABOVE LEAFLET TEXT IS AVAILABLE AS A WORD FILE ON REQUEST

GENOCIDE CONTINUES AGAINST THE UNITED WORKERS FEDERATION OF COLOMBIA CUT

THERE IS NO MORAL SANCTION AGAINST COLOMBIA WHERE 89 TRADE UNIONISTS
HAVE BEEN ASSASSINATED THIS YEAR

It is important to take into account that in Colombia we union leaders
do not have guarantees to exercise our functions in defence of civil,
political and economic rights, hence we are completely unprotected by
the Government which is directly responsible by its action or omission.
Its attitude is a clear symptom of policy to exterminate the trade union
movement, as is reflected in barbarous acts such as the following:

· On 29th June 2002, in Túquerres Municipality, Nariño Departament,
MANUEL ANTONIO FUERTES ARÉVALO was assianted. He was ex - vice-
president of the Tuquerres branch of Colombian Electricity Workers
Union SINTRAELECOL-CUT. The criminal act was perpetrated by
paramilitaries who assassinated him with 7 shots in front of his family
at his home. It is important to highlight that the comrade had been
threatened for which reason he had resigned from his position in the
union, but had continued working for the community.

· On 2nd July 2002, JOSÉ GONZALEZ BARROS was assassinated in
Sabanagrande Municipio, Atlántico Departament. he was an activists of
the Official Workers and Public Employees Union of Sabanagrande -
SINTRAOPUSA-CUT. The comrade was assassinated by unknown assailants as
he left his home for work.

DOMINGO RAFAEL TOVAR ARRIETA
Director Organisation Departament

Bogotá D.C., 4th July 2002


CONTINUA GENOCIDIO CONTRA LA CENTRAL UNITARIA DE TRABAJADORES DE
COLOMBIA - CUT

NO EXISTE SANCIÓN MORAL PARA COLOMBIA EN DONDE HAN ASESINADO 89
SINDICALISTAS........

Es importante tener en cuenta que en Colombia los líderes sindicales no
tenemos garantías para ejercer nuestras funciones en defensa de los
derechos civiles, políticos y económicos, por ende, nos vemos
completamente desprotegidos por parte del Gobierno quien es el directo
responsable por acción u omisión. Esta actitud es un síntoma claro del
exterminio del movimiento sindical que se refleja en hechos de barbarie
como los siguientes:

· El día 29 de Junio de 2002, en el Municipio de Túquerres, Departamento
de Nariño, fue asesinado MANUEL ANTONIO FUERTES ARÉVALO, ex -
vicepresidente de la Subdirectiva Tuquerres del Sindicato de
Trabajadores de la Electricidad de Colombia -SINTRAELECOL-CUT-. El
criminal acto fue perpetuado por Paramilitares quienes lo asesinaron de
7 impactos de bala en frente de su familia en su casa de residencia. Es
importante destacar que el compañero se encontraba amenazado motivo por
el cual había renunciado a su cargo dentro de la organización sindica
pero continuaba trabajando por la comunidad.

· El día 2 de Julio de 2002, en el Municipio de Sabanagrande,
Departamento de Atlántico, fue asesinado JOSÉ GONZALEZ BARROS, activista
del Sindicato de Trabajadores Oficiales y Empleados Públicos del
Municipio de Sabanagrande -SINTRAOPUSA-CUT-, el compañero fue asesinado
por desconocidos en instantes en que se desplazaba de su residencia
hacia su sitio de trabajo.

DOMINGO RAFAEL TOVAR ARRIETA
Director Departamento de Organización

Bogotá D.C., Julio 4 de 2002

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