The recent state offensive in the oil rich Arauca department in Colombia has been implemented with the assassination of 15 social leaders. Over 75 social activists have been imprisoned, and there are orders to capture an unknown number of others. The orders are prefabricated by the Fiscalía [Attorney General] using paid informers as witnesses to mark out and accuse citizens.

One of those evading arrest is Samuel Morales, regional president of the United Workers Centre (CUT). Samuel visited the UK in May this year on the invitation of Amnesty International (UK), with the support of Colombia Solidarity Campaign and Justice for Colombia. Samuel's current whereabouts is unknown and there are growing fears that should he be captured he will be tortured and assassinated (see Urgent Action 24th August 2003).

PUBLIC DENUNCIATION

"THE EXODUS" PUSHED BY THE GOVERNMENT IS A SYNONYM FOR DISPLACEMENT. THE PERSECUTION CONTINUES WITH DIRECT INTIMIDATION BY THE MILITARY AND BY THE DELINQUENTS WORKING IN THEIR SERVICE, AGAINST THE HEADQUARTERS OF SOCIAL ORGANISATIONS, INSTITUTIONS, CORPORATIONS, AND SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY COOPERATIVES"

We the Social Organisations: United Workers Centre CUT, the Peasants Association ADUC, the Arauca [Indegenous] Association of Traditional Leaders and Authorities ASCATUDAR, the Youth and Student Regional Association ASOJER and the Civic and Community Associations publicly denounce to the naional and international community, to the organisations that are responsible for monitoring and control of the state, and to the communication media the following facts, that have come about because of the application in Arauca of the government's 'Democratic Security' policy:

FACTS:

1.. After the mass detention and imprisonment of the leadership of the social sectors, the police and the army have been presenting themselves every day at union offices, community corporations, and the institutions of health, education and local government in Saravena. They do not come to offer protection, but so that delinquents such as Temistocles Rojas, Jorge Rojas and others protected by the state, on occasion dressed in military uniform or carrying badges of the Fiscalia [Attorney General's department], threaten and intimidate the employees and citizens their who are members of social organisations. The malterate them verbally and tell them not to go to trade union or community meetings, or if they do they will face the consequences, threatening them with the paramilitaries or being arrested and sentenced.

2.. In Fortul and Saravena the police and the army are convening meetings in health and education institutions, stating that attendance is obligatory. Anybody who refuses to attend will be taken by force and will face consequences, giving the clear intention that they are putting in place a dirty war of paramilitary assassination.

3.. In Saravena there are newly painted graffitis on the walls of community groups and union offices, as well as in some of the neighbourhoods. The police and army cordon off entire neighbourhoods so that the delinquents working for them can paint these slogans that threaten and intimidate the civilian population.

We call on the Ombudsman, the Prosecutor and the Human Rights unit in the Attorney General's department to review the behaviour and the abuse of authority of the army and police in Saravena. We urge that there be a disciplinary investigation and that those in the public state forces who are instigating a dirty paramilitary war be punished.

We raise our voice in protest against the way that our individual and collective rights are being violated. Rights such as the freedoms of association and expression which are in our national Constitution. Despite the fact that the decree designated "zones of rehabilitation and consolidation" has been declared void, nonetheless the military continues using the provisions of this repressive measure with the utmost barbarity and without scruple. They are operating with the backing of the Attorney General and the Prosecutor.

OUR SOCIAL AND HUMANITARIAN WORK IS LEGAL AND LEGITIMATE. WE DEFEND IT WITH THIS DENOUNCEMENT, AND WITH THE MOBILISATION AND SOCIAL PROTEST OF SOCIAL ORGANISATIONS IN ARAUCA DEPARTMENT, COLOMBIA"

SOCIAL ORGANISATION OF ARAUCA DEPARTAMENT, COLOMBIA

4th September 2003

SEND MESSAGES URGENTLY TO

Presidente de la República de Colombia: Dr. Alvaro Uribe Vélez Palacio de Nariño, Carrera 8 No.7-26 Santafe de Bogotá, COLOMBIA Fax: 00 57 1 286 74 34/286, 68 42/284 21 86
E-mail: auribepresidencia.gov.co; dhpresidencia.gov.co

[Alternative: to send e-mail to Uribe login to http://www.presidencia.gov.co and click on ESCRIBALE AL PRESIDENTE at the bottom of the page]

With copies to: Colombian Embassy (UK): mailcolombianembassy.co.uk; Bill Rammell MP Under- Secretary of State Foreign Office james.morrisonfco.gov.uk and colombia_schotmail.com

Background

Arauca is in Colombia's north-east, bordering Venezuela. It is the spearhead of US intervention in Latin America. US multinational Occidental Petroleum is the main oil operator in the region. BP's main oil fields are in Casanare to the south, but its explorations are also extending northwards towards the Tame district of Arauca. Spanish multinational Repsol also has interests in the area. Occidental has led a five year battle to take oil form the land of the indigenous U'wa people. The US military have a base from which US ground troops have been operating in the area since September 2002. Occidental, the US and the Colombia Airforce were all involved in the bombing of peasants in Santa Domingo on 13th December 1998 in which 17 peasants, including 7 children, were killed.

Uribe declared Arauca a Zone of Rehabilitation and Consolidation in September 2002. Violations increased. On one occasion the entire population of Saravena was herded into the local sports stadium. Those passing interrogation were stamped with an indelible marker, others were taken into detention and then shipped to Bogotá. And three hundred Guahíbo indigenous people have occupied the Central Catholic Church in Saravena. They fled their homes as a result of attacks committed by the Nava Pardo Battalion of the 18th Brigade of the National Army. On 31st December soldiers wearing AUC armbands came to their village in Tame. They killed a man and took off his two year old daughter. They raped four females aged 11, 12, 15 and 16 years old. Omaira Fernández was pregnant. Then, as human rights workers report, "the people had to look on horrified as the supposed 'paramilitaries' opened up her womb, took out the foetus, sliced it up, put the pieces in a plastic bag and threw them into the river along with the mother".

Materials

See "Arauca - Laboratory of War" eyewitness account by David Rhys-Jones in Colombia Solidarity bulletin No 10. A CD with a 15 minute video of the Santa Domingo massacre is available for £3.

DENUNCIA PÚBLICA
Departamento De Arauca-Colombia Septiembre 4- 2003

"EL ÉXODO" IMPULSADO POR EL GOBIERNO ES SINÓNIMO DE DESPLAZAMIENTO. LA PERSECUCIÓN CONTINÚA CON LA INTIMIDACIÓN DIRECTA DE LOS MILITARES Y DELINCUENTES A SU SERVICIO, CONTRA LAS SEDES DE LOS SECTORES SOCIALES, INSTITUCIANES, EMPRESAS, COOPERATIVAS COMUNITARIAS Y SOCIALES.

Las Organizaciones Sociales: Central Unitaria de Trabajadores CUT, la Asociación de Usuarios Campesinos ADUC, la Asociación de Autoridades Tradicionales y Cabildos de Arauca ASCATUDAR, la Asociación Juvenil y Estudiantil Regional ASOJER y las Asociaciones Cívicas y Comunitarias, denunciamos públicamente ante la comunidad nacional e internacional, organismos de veeduría y control del estado y medios de comunicación los siguientes hechos, consecuencia de la aplicación de la política de seguridad democrática en el departamento de Arauca.

HECHOS:

1.. Después de la retención y encarcelamiento masivo de la dirigencia de los sectores sociales, la policía y el ejército se viene presentando diariamente en las sedes sindicales, empresas comunitarias, instituciones de educación, salud y administración municipal de Saravena, no precisamente para brindar protección, sino para que los delincuentes Temistocles Rojas, Jorge Rojas y otros protegidos por el estado, vistiendo en ocasiones prendas militares o distintivos de la fiscalía, amenacen e intimiden a los ciudadanos miembros de los sectores sociales y empleados, maltratándolos verbalmente y manifestándoles que no los quieren ver en reuniones sindicales y comunitarias so pena que si lo hacen se atengan a las consecuencias, amenazándoles con los paramilitares o de ser arrestados y judicializados.

2.. En Fortul y Saravena la policía y el ejército está convocando a reuniones a las instituciones educativas y salud, manifestando que su asistencia es obligatoria o de lo contrario quien se rehúse a asistir es llevado a la fuerza y que también se atenga a las consecuencias, dejando ver la intención de poner en marcha acciones de guerra sucia paramilitar.

3.. En Saravena nuevamente se pintan grafitis en sedes de empresas comunitarias y sedes sindicales, se amplían a algunos barrios, para ello la policía y el ejército acordona barrios enteros, para que los delincuentes a su servicio realicen estos delitos intimidatorios y amenazantes contra la población civil.

4.. Hacemos un llamado a la defensoría del pueblo, a la procuraduría y a la unidad de derechos humanos de la fiscalía para que revisen el comportamiento del abuso de autoridad de la policía y el ejército, en el municipio de Saravena, se investigue disciplinaria y penalmente la manera como se quiere generar acciones de guerra sucia paramilitar impulsada por la misma fuerza pública.

Sentamos nuestra voz de protesta por la manera como se están violentando nuestros derechos individuales y colectivos, como es el derecho a la libre asociación y a la libertad de expresión contemplados en nuestra constitución nacional, los militares del departamento de Arauca, a pesar de que se han declarado inexequibles los decretos de las "zonas de rehabilitación y consolidación" siguen utilizando con mayor barbarie y sin escrúpulos estas medidas represivas con el visto bueno de la unidad de apoyo de la fiscalía y la procuraduría.

NUETRA LABOR SOCIAL Y HUMANITARIA ES LEGAL Y LEGÍTIMA; LA DEFENDEMOS CON LA DENUNCIA, LA MOVILIZACIÓN Y LA PROTESTA SOCIAL

ORGANIZACIONES SOCIALES DEL DEPARTAMENTOS DE ARAUCA COLOMBIA

E-mail: colombia_schotmail.com Website: colombiasolidarity.org.uk