The International Centre for Trade Union Rights

URGENT ACTION BULLETIN 4: COLOMBIA, 12 March 2003

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During the past two weeks ICTUR has received the following reports of serious violations of trade union rights in Colombia:
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3 February: Luis Eduardo Guzman Alvarez, Rector of the Polytechnic School Marco Fidel Suarez in the city of Bello, Departament of Antioquia, was assassinated in a rain of bullets. In the 1980s he played a prominent role as a leader of the Antioquia Primary School Teachers' Association, ADIDA.

9 February: teacher Carlos Eduardo Velandia Callejas was assassinated in the city of Tame, Arauca Department, by two armed and hooded men who handcuffed him, took him away and murdered him.

13 February: teacher Luz Mery Valencia was riddled with bullets on her doorstep as she was leaving for El Jardin School in Puerto Asis, Putumayo. She played a leading role in trade union and teaching activities. Luz Mery leaves her young daughters behind.

17 February: a letter arrived at the national offices of the CIRCOLO COLOMBIANO DE REPORTEROS GRÁFICOS (the graphic designer's association) which contained a death threat against the trade union President, Gladys Barajas, and her family.

18 February: Maritza Ortega Serrano, teacher and trade union member, was assassinated in the city of Valledupar outside the College Jose Eugenio Maartinez. Two assassins on a motorbike shot her straight in the face in front of students and teachers.

19 February: the house of the educator and FECODE activist, Samuel Reyes, was surrounded by state security forces. He is now accused of belonging to urban militias of the insurgency. According to FECODE he is being framed by the state security forces.

19 February: the house of Rafael Palencia Fernandez was surrounded by state security forces. He is an active member of the trade union SINTRAMINTRABAJO that is engaged in a court case representing freight workers against Coca Cola. He is now being held by the SIJIN (intelligence police) in Cartagena, accused of belonging to urban militias of the insurgency. According to the trade union he is being framed by the state security forces.

20 February: Elber Alberto Granja, former President of SINTRAMUNICIPIO and civic leader of the Community Action Council in the Municipality of Vijes-Valle de Cauca was in the front garden of his house when an individual began shooting at him. He fell to the ground and managed to escape, unwounded, after his assailant was distracted by the presence of another person.

20 February: teacher Juan Antonio Bohorquez Medina, a member of the trade union executive for the municipality of Bituima (an affiliate of FECODE-CUT) 'disappeared'. Three days later his body was found. He had been horribly murdered in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Alban.

20 February: Tereza Baez Rodríguez, President of the CUT-affiliated SINTRACLÍNICAS hospital workers union in Bucaramanga, was threatened as she left her place of work.

22 February: Wilson Castro Padilla, a member of the SINALTRAINAL foodworkers trade union, was threatened in an anonymous letter using graphics taken from a newspaper. The threat stated that he must choose between his and his family's lives or continuing with his trade union activities.

22 February 2003: Martha Cecilia Gomez Reyes, SINTRAEMCALI delegate received a call on her mobile phone in which a man with a mocking laugh threatened her saying "You are going to die".

22 February: members of the secret police detained Robinson Beltran Herrera in Manizales. He is the President of the Trade Union of the Regional Electricity Corporation of the Atlantic Coast, SINTRAELECOL CORELCA.

27 February: German Robinson Lopez, teacher and member of the Sindicato del Magisterio de Nariño, was arrested by police and is being held in detention. He has been charged with rebellion and terrorism. The trade union has denounced the charges.

28 February: Domingo Tovar Arrieta, Director of the CUT Human Rights Department and member of the National Executive of the CUT, returned his protective transport, bodyguards and weapons to the Ministry of Interior in protest at the failure of the Alvaro Uribe government to resolve inconsistencies concerning his scheme of protection. The protection was provided to Domingo under the Ministry of Interior Protection Scheme for Trade Unions after he presented a case at the Organisation of American States. Any problem with the security scheme leaves Domingo at grave risk.

This takes place at a time when a confirmed and well-funded plan to assassinate Domingo by paramilitary and delinquent groups working together has been discovered. The decision to publicly return the security scheme is meant to highlight - to the international and national community - that the responsibility for Domingo's life and physical integrity lies with the government of President Alvaro Uribe Velez, and his functionaries.

28 February: Walfredo Santoya Garcia, a teacher and Treasurer of the Asociacion Sindical de Profesores de la Universisad Popuilar del Cesar, ASOU, received death threats by telephone.

During February, over a period of weeks, Robinson Masso, a SINTRAEMCALI leader, has been subjected to intimidating phone calls. Each time the caller remains silent.

1 March: Oscar Figueroa Pachongo, Treasurer of the SINTRAEMCALI trade union received a death threat by telephone call to the SINTRAEMCALI offices.

3 March: Martha Cecilia Gomez Reyes, SINTRAEMCALI delegate and wife of Luis Enrique Imbachi, SINTRAEMCALI vice-President, received a second phone call in two weeks, this time to her office. On this occasion, the man said: "Martha Cecilia Gomez Reyes? You are going to die".

3 March: Martha Bibiana Giraldo, wife of trade union leader Robinson Masso of SINTRAEMCALI, received a threatening phone call. The caller told her that "nobody will be saved". Her husband has been receiving threatening phone calls for some weeks.

3 March: three threatening calls were made to the SINTRAEMCALI switchboard. One of the calls was particularly alarming as the caller said that if SINTRAEMCALI did not believe them they would be sent a little evidence. The caller repeated: "Listen, we are going to kill all of these leader sons of bitches, and this time it is serious".

5 March: Tereza Baez Rodríguez, President of the CUT-affiliated SINTRACLÍNICAS hospital workers union in Bucaramanga, was arrested and charged with rebellion. Prior to her arrest she received numerous death threats (see 20 February, above). In 2002 she was the victim of an attempted kidnapping.

5 March: Roberto Borja Rubiano, a national officer of the FENASINTRAP trade union federation, received death threats by phone.

7 March: Leonor Herreño Aguilar, a member of the National Union of Workers of the Ministry of Education, SINTRENAL, received a telephone death threat. She has received many previous such threats.

8 March: Robinson Beltrán Herrera, President of SINTRAELECOL (the Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Corporación Regional Autónoma de la Costa Atlántica, CORELCA) was arrested and detained and charged with rebellion and terrorism. Five years ago he was in prison for three years on the same charge - until he was absolved of the charges and released.

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ICTUR has written to the Colombian authorities to protest these violations of trade union rights. We call for an end to the aggression and insist that the authorities implement and ensure full respect for the international legal standards that protect freedom of association.

For more information contact ICTUR: miguel@ictur.org

If you want to take action in support of these cases you can send letters of protest to the Colombian authorities at the following addresses:

President of the Republic of Colombia
Dr. Alvaro Uribe Velez
Palacio de Narino, Carrera 8 No.7-26 Santafe de Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: + 57 1 3375890 / 3420592
E-mail: auribe@presidencia.gov.co; rdh@presidencia.gov.co

Vicepresident of the Republic of Colombia
Francisco Santos - Consejeria Presidential de Derechos Humanos
Calle 7, No 6-54, Piso 3 Santafe de Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: 00 57 1 337 1351 E-mail: mdn@cable.net.co; infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co; siden@mindefensa.gov.co

Minister of the Interior and Justice
Fernando Londono Hoyos Ministerio del Interior y Justicia
Palacio Echeverry, Carrera 8a, No.8-09, piso 2o., Santafe de Bogota, Colombia
Fax:00 57 1 286 8025 E-mail: mininterior@myrealbox.com

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