/* Written 6:15 pm Oct 12, 1992 by geonet@gn.apc.org in igc:omct.sostortur */
...
At the request of the Corporacion Colectivo de Abogados (CCA), member
of our network, we call upon you to intervene URGENTLY on behalf of
the following situation in Colombia.
Brief description of the situation :
Information sent to us by the CCA and a number of indigenous
organisations in Colombia have drawn our attention to the fact that
on 8 October 1992 at 06h30 hours, some hundred or so peasants and
indigenous peoples who were taking part in a peaceful demonstration
in a place known as Rio Blanco, about 3 Km from Popayan, in the
department of Cauca, were violently attacked by police officers and
members of the army, who fired into the crowd indiscriminately and
drove their vehicles into the demonstrators.
As a result of this attack, some 15 people, amongst them Mrs. Carmen
Rosa OLIVO and Mr. Luis Alfonso PUJADOS were wounded.
In addition, a number of people were beaten and detained by the
police, among them, Messrs. Jesus AVIRAMA, Jesus PINACUE and Daniel
PINACUE, the representatives nominated by the demonstrators to act as
negotiators with the local and regional authorities. The police
authorities have denied any responsibility for these detentions. The
information also mentions the suspected forced disappearances of the
young Ezequiel ANTE, aged 15 years, who has presumably been detained.
The peaceful demonstration was organised to protest against the
celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the
Americas and to demand the respect for the rights and freedoms of the
population, in particular the peasant and indigenous sections. The
military authorities and the police considered this demonstration to
be an act of "subversion".
Action requested
Please write to the Colombian authorities urging them to adopt the
appropriate measures to locate the young Ezequiel ANTE and release
him immediately if he is indeed being detained, as well as Messrs.
Jesus AVIRAMA, Jesus PINACUE, Daniel PINACUE and all other people
being detained. Urge them to ensure the respect for the physical and
psychological integrity of these people. Exhort them to open thorough
and impartial inquiries into the above mentioned incidents in order
to identify those responsible and punish them in accordance with the
law. Demand that they ensure the respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms in thy country at all times.
Addresses
S.E. Cesar Gaviria Trujillo, Presidente de la Republica de Colombia,
Palacio de Narino, Bogota, Colombia. Fax (+ 571) 2867434 Dr. Rafael
Pardo Rueda, Ministro de Defensa, Ministerio de Defensa - CAN,
Santaf de Bogota, Colombia. Dr. Carlos Gustavo Arrieta, Procurador
General de la Nacion, Carrera 5 No. 15-80, Bogota, Colombia. Fax (+
571) 2840472 Dr. Andres Conzales Posso, Ministro de Justicia, Calle
26, No. 27-48, Bogota, Colombia. Fax (+ 571) 2221874 Dra. Mariana
Escobar, Consejeria Presidencial para los Derechos Humanos, Calle 7,
No. 6-54, Bogota, Colombia. Fax (+ 571) 2842186
12 October 1992
Please inform us of any action undertaken, (kindly mention the code
number ofthe appeal in any related correspondence).
LAYOUT 000
[ It is not clear who is the original poster of this article, so I cannot
advise who to contact concerning the action undertaken. --Gary ]