From: Lauren Sullivan Subject: U'WA URGENT!

U'wa given 7 day Eviction notice! Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 
 

CRISIS ON U'WA TERRITORY DEEPENS AS COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT DECLARES IT WILL EVICT U'WA FROM THEIR TERRITORY AROUND THE GIBRALTAR 1 DRILLSITE 
CALL COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT PASTRANA! 
CALL AL GORE! 
ORGANIZE AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE DEMONSTRATION AT A NEARBY GORE 2000 OFFICE! 

- Find the one nearest you at : http://www.algore2000.com/states/index.html 
- and nearest DNC office at: http://www.democrats.org/action/
- Contact Patrick or Lauren at RAN at 1-800-989-RAIN 
- or organize@ran.org if you are willing to organize an emergency response demonstration, action or solidarity event! 
 

 1) CALL FOR SOLIDARITY ACTIONS!!
The U'wa people of Colombia are facing the final showdown in their eight year campaign to prevent Occidental petroleum from desecrating their ancestral lands. The Colombian Military and Police have increased their forces occupying the proposed drillsite and have told the U'wa that they will be removed from their legal, communal property within the next seven days! The U'wa are being barred from assembling on their own lands and are being assaulted by the military. 

We must act now to help the U'wa by showing Al Gore and Colombian President Pastrana that we will hold them accountable for Oxy's actions on the U'wa territory. President Pastrana and Colombian legal entities have called for the eviction of the U'wa. According to the U'wa the military has said they are designating the area around the Gibraltar 1 well-site, land which legally belongs to the U'wa, as a "mining reserve" for Occidental Petroleum. Occidental has stated that they plan to sink the first exploratory well at the Gibraltar 1 before the end of September. This eviction will pave the way for Occidental to bring in the final machinary needed to begin drilling. The escalation of violence is already occurring and the U'wa's human rights are being violated by the military on a daily basis. 

The U'wa have called for increased solidarity actions. The future of the U'wa people and their homelands depends on activists around the world taking actions for the U'wa. Whether its a demonstration at a Gore campaign office, a picket at the Colombian embassy or a teach-in in your community - we must draw attention to the crisis in U'wa land! Call on Al Gore and Colombian President Pastrana to stop the violation of the U'wa's human rights! Al Gore, Pastrana and Oxy will have the blood of the U'wa on their hands if any more violence occurs. In the early 90's, Gore supported the Penan, an indigenous people in Borneo whose rainforest home was threatend by logging operations. Why has he failed to take action for the U'wa? Apparently his concern for the environment and human rights only matters when it doesn't conflict with the corporations like Oxy that fund his campaign. The Republicans are drawing attention to Gore's hypocrisy on this issue (see their website - http://www.rnc.org/GoreFiles/oxyal1_082300) which is of course ironic since Bush and Cheney have even deeper ties to the oil industry. 

We need to be a clearer voice of support for the U'wa that demands that Gore sever his ties from Oxy, pressure the Colombian Government to protect the U'wa people and not oil interests. Gore needs to do this because we will no longer stand for his hypocrisy around human rights and environmental issues. US Activists: Please take the time to call, write and fax Al Gore Gore2000 601 Mainstream Dr. Nashville, TN 37228 Phone: 615-340-2000 Fax: 202-456-2685 Organize a lobbying visit, demonstration or direct action at a Gore 2000 or DNC office! Join the U'wa in putting your body on the line! International activists and US Activists: Fax President Pastrana and let him know that we, the people and organizations who defend human rights, will not tolerate the continued violation of the U'wa's culture, rights and ancestral territory. (Template letter below) Fax the Colombian Embassy in Washington D.C. at: 202-232-8643 
 

2) Association of U'wa Traditional Authorities Decree Number 1088, 1993 Registry resolution Number 003, February 1997. Minister of the Interior Communique to the National and International Public Kera Chikara - Ancestral and Sacred Territory of the U'wa People, September 11, 2000 The U'wa People want to make known the National and International Public the repressive nature of the public forces, military, and anti-riot police who are, on a daily basis, physically and morally assaulting members of the U'wa community who are living on the Santa Rita and Bellavista Farms in Cedeno, Toledo, North Santander. Our community is the rightful owner of these lands. 

This past July 8th, the U'wa community returned to occupy the Santa Rita and Bellavista farms thanks to a judge's injunction decision which ordered the revision of the formalities which granted the land to Occidental of Colombia, Inc. In this process of revising these formalities, the U'wa, the representative of the municipality of Cubara, Boyaca, the Agrarian judicial attorney of Arauca, the People's Ombudsman of Arauca, and the commander of the military forces of the region, agreed to mutually respect each other, thus guaranteeing the respect for our constitutional and legal rights. It was also stated that the universal human rights and international humanitarian rights would be respected, including: freedom of movement, freedom from physical or moral agression, the right to work, the right to a home, the right to privacy, etc. But today we would like to tell Colombia and the world that the public forces haven't respected our rights, and they continue to restrict the entry to our land, they prohibit us from using the interior road that connects with the central road to our property, they sound gunshots in the night. 

U'wa women have been the victims of violent sexual acts carried out by military soldiers, and on the 8th and 9th of September due to the restricted movement, we had to traverse a mountain to enter our property. Today the public forces informed us that in eight days they will remove the U'wa community members that are living contentedly on the Santa Rita and Bella Vista farms. According to statements from the head of the military, this is an order handed down from the President of Colombia, Andres Pastrana Arango. Due to this decision, we would like to say to our Colombian brothers and sisters that this is the result of the Plan Colombia, the negation of all of our rights. The U'wa people reject the despotic nature of the Andres Pastrana government, the lies and the deceit that he attempts to legalize by means of informing national and international citizens of a process of alleged respect for our rights, which in reality doesn't exist. 

While the government dialogues in Bogota, the machinery is arriving to the drilling site and the process of violence is growing stronger. For these reasons, we want to make clear that if in the future an U'wa leader or any U'wa person is attacked physically or morally, we will hold the Colombian government Occidental of Colombia Inc. directly responsible. The U'wa are not going to abandon our farms because this is our home and our land. We will continue to gather there and to make known to the Colombian community and the world each inhumane act that is committed by the military forces. We will communicate these events not to provoke pity, but to garner support for our people who fight to maintain our culture, our beliefs, our ancient laws; We are an example a community that seeks to live in peace and harmony with others and with nature. The Plan Colombia only benefits the multinationals who,in their efforts to seize and take control of our riches and of our wealth devastate all that is around them. We the U'wa people stand as a clear example of a community defending our right to live in peace, unity and harmony; to live within the territory that was created by Sira (God), and to care for and and coexist peacefully on this, our land. Roberto Perez Guitierrez President, U'wa Council, U'wa Association 

ASOCIACION DE AUTORIDADES TRADICIONALES U´WA Decreto No. 1088 de 1993 Resolución de registro No. 003 de febrero de 1997. Dirección genera de asuntos Indígenas Ministerio del Interior COMUNICADO A LA OPINION PUBLICA NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL Kera Chikara - Territorio Ancestral y Sagrado U'wa Septiembre 11 de 2000 El Pueblo U´wa damos a conocer a la Opinión Pública Nacional e Internacionallas actitudes represivas por parte de la Fuerza Pública ejército y policía antimotines quienes a diario están agrediendo física y moralmente a los miembros de la comunidad U'wa que se encuentran usufructuando los predios Santa Rita y Bellavista en la Vereda Cedeño, Toledo - Norte de Santander de los cuales somos sus legítimos y legales propietarios. 

La comunidad U'wa el día 8 de julio de los corrientes regresa a ocupar los predios de Santa Rita y Bellavista gracias a la decisión de tutela que ordena rehacer la diligencia de entrega del terreno a la Empresa Occidental de Colombia Inc,. En la diligencia de entrada a nuestros predios nos acompañó la Personera del municipio de Cubará - Boyacá, El Procurador judicial agrario de Arauca, el defensor del pueblo delegado para el departamento de Arauca, el comandante del ejército acantonado en el lugar, con quienes acordamos respetarnos mutuamente garantizando de esta forma el respeto a los derechos constitucionales y legales que nos asiste, como también el respeto a los derechos humanos universales y el derecho internacional humanitario, entre los que podemos destacar: libre circulación, no agresión física ni moral, derecho al trabajo, a la vivienda, a la privacidad, etc, pero hoy queremos contarle a Colombia y al mundo que esto no se ha respetado pues a la fecha se nos ha restringido la entrada, nos han prohibido utilizar la vía interna que comunica la carretera central con nuestros predios, disparos de arma de fuego en las horas de la noche, mujeres U'wa que han sido objeto de acto sexual violento por miembros del ejército y últimamente día 8 y 9 de septiembre debido a la restricción de tránsito nos ha tocado entrar por la montaña. Hoy se nos informó que en el término de ocho días se practicará el desalojo de los hermanos U'wa que se encuentran disfrutando las fincas Santa Rita y Bellavista , según explica el mayor del ejército es una orden del señor Presidente de la República de Colombia ANDRES PASTRANA ARANGO, frente a esta decisión queremos decirle a los hermanos colombianos que este es uno de los resultados del Plan Colombia, la negación de todo derecho. 

El pueblo U'wa rechaza la actitud déspota del gobierno de ANDRES PASTRANA, la mentira y el engaño que pretende legalizar mediante informes a la ciudadanía nacional e internacional de un proceso de respeto que no existe, pues mientras se dialoga en una mesa nacional, la maquinaria está llegando al lugar de perforación y el proceso de violencia se fortalece, por estasrazones queremos dejar claro que si en el futuro un líder indígena U'wa o cualquier miembro llegare a sufrir atentado a su integridad física o moral el gobierno colombiano y la empresa Occidental de Colombia Inc, serán los directos responsables. Los U'wa no vamos a abandonar nuestras finca, porque este es nuestro hogar y nuestras tierras, continuaremos allí concentrados y seguiremos dando a conocer al pueblo colombiano y al mundo cada acto inhumano que cometa las fuerzas militares, lo anterior no tanto para que tengan lástima de un pueblo que lucha por mantener viva la cultura, nuestras creencias, nuestras leyes mayores sino el ejemplo de un pueblo que busca vivir en paz y armonía con nuestros semejantes y con la naturaleza. El Plan Colombia favorece únicamente a las multinacionales que en su afán de apoderarse de nuestras riquezas y de nuestros patrimonios están arrasando con todo lo que encuentre a su alrededor, como ejemplo claro estamos los U'wa, que sólo estamos defendiendo el derecho a vivir en paz, unidad y armonía dentro de un territorio que fue creado por Sira para administrarla y convivir pacíficamente en ella. ROBERTO PEREZ GUTIERREZ Presidente Cabildo Mayor, Asociación U´wa 

3) SAMPLE LETTER TO PRESIDENT PASTRANA 

Dr. Andrés Pastrana Arango President of the Republic of Colombia 
Casa de Nariño Bogotá D.C. 

Dear Mr. President: 

We are profoundly concerned about recent news we have received from the U?wa community in Cubará (Boyacá, Colombia). We are aware that the anti-riot police arrived in the area on September 7. According to the U'wa , the police stated that they have an order direct from the Colombian Presidency to evict all civilians present in a 500 meter radius surrounding the exploratory well site of Gibraltar. According to the U?wa, a member of the anti-riot police said: 'There must be no civilians inside a 500 meter radius of the well.' Neither indigenous nor campesino leaders have yet received a written judicial or administrative eviction order. However, according to what the anti-riot police communicated to the U?wa, the purpose of the eviction is to bring in Occidental Petroleum?s machinery from Saravena to the drill site. 

We believe that this eviction would constitute an open violation of the recent ruling of the honorable Superior Court of Norte de Santander, which authorized Occidental Petroleum's use of only the land previously set aside for such activity in a judicial order. Additionally, we have learned that on September 11, the executive board of Incora created a Petroleum Reserve Zone around the the Gibaltar well site. This constitutes a new attempt to disregard the rights of the U'wa people to their traditional territory and to their communal ownership of farms to which they have legitimate, written, and duly registered titles.  Considering: 

1. that Article 63 of the Colombian Constitution states that communal territory of ethnic groups is inalienable; 
2. that the land slated for petroleum exploration forms part of the immemorial patrimony of the U'wa people and of their traditional territory; and 
3. that the U'wa people were not consulted with regarding the work that is currently being carried out by Occidental Petroleum. 

We implore you to take action to protect the rights of the U'wa and to take action to prevent a turn of events like that which occurred on June 25th and 26th, on February 11th, and on January 25th of this year, when actions of the public forces against the U'wa resulted in the drownings of three indigenous children and caused multiple injuries to indigenous people and campesinos. We believe that the conflict between the U'wa and Occidental Petroleum must be resolved through nonviolent means, especially through consultation under the terms of Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization, which was signed and ratified by Colombia and through consideration of the terms of Article 330 and Articles 63 and 93 of the Colombian Constitution. Under no circumstances can we individuals and organizations actively defending human rights accept continued violence against the U'wa and against the people who stand in solidarity with them. 

Sincerely: 

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