Urgent Action issued by CUT on 10 July 2001

PERMANENT ATTACK ON COLOMBIAN WORKERS
Through its Human Rights Department, the Colombian United Workers Federation "CUT" denounces the latest barbarous acts that have left 59 trade unionists assassinated in Colombia so far this year:

· On 6th July 2001 GERMAN CARVAJAL RUIZ, a teacher from the Municipality of Obando, in Valle del Cauca Department was assassinated as he was leaving work at the local College; he was attacked by unknown men, just as he was departing the premises. Comrade Carvajal was the president of the Obando branch of SUTEV, the Valle del Cauca United Teachers Union, which is affiliated to FECODE, the Federation Colombian Educators, a CUT affiliate. Because of his qualities as a union leader, German had been declared a military target in Florencia, Caquetá Departament and had been obliged to transfer to Valle del Cauca. German had continued teaching in Obando, where the criminals who carried out this execution found our comrade.

· On 8th July 2001 ISABEL PEREZ GUZMÁN the Registrar of Morroa Municipality in Sucre, Departament was assassinated, when two men entered her office and adminstered two shots to her head. The comrade had spent 28 years in the service of the National Civil State Registry, and she was a member of the Sucre section of the National Registry Workers Union, SINTRAREGINAL - CUT.

· On 9th July 2001 HUGO CABEZAS, a teacher in Barbacoas Municipality, Nariño Departament, was assassinated. He was a member of SIMANA, the Nariño Teachers Union, affiliated to FECODE - CUT. It is important to note that Barbacoas is now totally overrun by paramilitary groups, who have forcibly displaced a majority of the population.

· On 4th July 2001 teacher ALONSO MEJÍA URÓN was taken as he was leaving his home to go to work at the school in Río de Oro, Cesar Departament. Alonso is a member of the Cesar Educators Association ADUCESAR, an affiliate of FECODE - CUT. To this date the comrade is disappeared, and for that reason we make an URGENT CALL to save his life, that he be returned to his familiy and to his trade union comrades safe and sound as quickly as possible.

These 59 extra-judicial executions [and more than 30 disappearances] show that the government of Andrés Pastrana Arango, whether by action or by omission, is definitely allowing our union leaders, activitists and workers to be continuously assassinated, disappeared, threatened and forcibly displaced so that in extremity they have to take temporary or permanent refuge elsewhere to save their lives.

In the face of this inexplicable behaviour by the Colombian State and its visible leaders, it is necessary for the international community to strongly demand that the Colombian government takes real and immediate actions to stop this criminal wave against Colombian trade unionism. The international community, through such organisations as the ILO, UN, OAS, European Parliament, and NGOs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others, is only listening to false speeches and intense lobbying by Colombian ministers and diplomats at international organisations, where they affirm that in Colombia mechanisms that guarantee our union activity exist. We deny these claims. As can be seen by the lack of funds for the Protection Programme for Human Rights Defenders and Trade Union Leaders. Beside which there is no policy to end impunity, which means that the intellectual and material authors of these murders of trade unionists are not captured nor tried.

JESÚS ANTONIO GONZALEZ LUNA, Director Human Rights Departament Bogotá 10th July 2001

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Send immediate protests to Doctor Andres Pastrana Arango President of the Republic, Palacio de Narino, Santafe de Bogotá, Colombia. E-mail: rdh@presidencia.gov.co Fax: 00571 3362109/337 1351

with copies to the CUT,
CUT Departmento Derechos Humanos,
Calle 35 No 7-25 Piso 9, Bogota, Colombia.
Tel/Fax: 00571 288 8577 / 323 7550
E-mail: cutcol@col3.telecom.com.co .

Join the Colombia Solidarity Campaign, PO Box 8446, London N17 6NZ. Tel: 07950 923 448 E-mail: colombia_sc@hotmail.com Membership £5 waged, £10 unwaged, £20 organisations.