Marta Hinestroza, the lawyer representing farming communities displaced by oil multinational BP's activities in Colombia, will be calling on the company for compensation at its Annual General Meeting at 11am at the Festival Hall in London this Thursday, 24th April.

BP subsidiaries in Colombia have been involved in the construction and running of the OCENSA oil pipeline across the eastern Andes. Local people have lost land and livelihood and the company still refuses to offer appropriate compensation. Residents campaigning for justice have been repeatedly threatened by paramilitaries. Ms Hinestroza received so many death threats for her work that she fled the country and has now received refugee status in Britain. BP has yet to respond to the efforts of Ms Hinestroza and supporters in Britain to seek redress for her clients.

Colombian trade unionist Samuel Morales is also in Britain for the BP AGM, representing the Colombian trade union federation CUT (Central Unitaria de Trabajadores). He also represents a coalition of social organisations in eastern Colombia where BP is involved with another disruptive pipeline project. Mr Morales said: 'The areas where BP works have been turned into zones of paramilitary control. In the three new oil fields that BP is opening up in Casanare, peasant leaders have been "disappeared". There have been 35 such disappearances there.'

Anglo American AGM, Friday 25th April
Anglo American mining and forced displacement of communities

British-based mining multinational Anglo American plc will also face criticism this week for its activities in Colombia. Colombian mineworkers' union leader Francisco Ramirez will bring the company's record to the attention of shareholders at its AGM at 11am this Friday, 25th April, at Church House, Westminster. [MORE...]

Anglo American is part of a consortium operating the world's biggest coal strip mine at El Cerrejon in northern Colombia. Numerous communities have been forcibly displaced to make way for the mine, including one - the small village of Tabaco - expelled by hundreds of armed police and soldiers since Anglo American became involved. Community members want a relocation arrangement which would enable them to remain together as a community and continue farming in another place. The Colombian Supreme Court ruled in May 2002 that the consortium and the local authority should facilitate this relocation. Neither the local authorities nor the companies have yet complied. Anglo American has told British-based campaigners that it has made a large sum of money available for compensation but local residents and their legal representative have never been officially informed of this sum and the compensation offered them has been wholly inadequate.

Anglo American and its consortium partners bought into the mine by buying out the Colombian state coal mining company, CARBOCOL, for around one third of its value. Mr Ramirez wants to question Anglo American about the impacts of its involvement both on local people and on the state's finances.

Marta Hinestroza, Samuel Morales and Francisco Ramirez are all available for interview.

For Marta Hinestroza and Samuel Morales, phone David Rhys-Jones on 07932 034477.

For Francisco Ramirez, phone Richard Solly on 020 7523 2133 during office hours on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd April or 020 7254 4699 at other times.

For further details, contact Richard Solly on 020 7523 2133 during office hours on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd April or 020 7254 4699 at other times.

ENDS

Note to editors:

The Colombia Solidarity Campaign is a British-based organisation consisting of Colombians and others supporting those working for peace with social justice in Colombia. It opposes foreign military intervention in Colombia, particularly in the form of the US-funded Plan Colombia. It assists trade unionists, Indigenous leaders, human rights and environmental activists in Colombia through urgent action letter writing campaigns, lobbying and public education in Britain and arranging solidarity visits to Colombia.