ALERT: Ask your senator to force a debate on Colombia!
posted September 5, 2003
As early as next week, Senate members will debate the 2004
foreign aid bill which contains over $500 million in
foreign aid for Colombia. Most of this money will be used
to equip military and police forces responsible for grave
human rights abuses, including the increased repression
and murder of trade union activists.
Without debate, Senators do not become educated how US
monies aid and abet Colombia's repressive regime.
These floor debates are needed to build momentum for
policy change, a change that the Colombia trade union
movement says is the most important step the US can take
to stop the killing of trade unionists!
Even if an amendment is not offered, Senators can still
express their concerns to the full body.
Therefore, we are asking all of you to force that debate
to happen. Please call or fax your Senators asking them
to bring this issue to the floor during the debate over
the 2004 foreign aid bill.
CALL-INS NEXT WEEK-SEPTEMBER 8-12!
We encourage individual or organized group call-ins next
week. Below you will find talking points. To find your
Senator's contact information, please log on to
www.senate.gov or call the US Capitol Switchboard at
202-224-3121 to be connected with your representative.
TALKING POINTS
- Colombia is the most dangerous place in the world to be a trade
unionist. In 2002, 85% of all trade unionists murdered worldwide were
Colombian.
- The majority of Colombian trade unionist assassinations are committed
by paramilitary forces linked to the Colombian military responsible
for a long history of grave human rights abuses.
- Paramilitary forces continue to operate with impunity. Not one
person has been tried, let alone convicted, for the murders of over
400 trade unionists in 2001 and 2002.
- U.S. unions challenge U.S. support to the Colombian military. Unions
such as AFSCME, CWA, SEIU and other labor councils strongly oppose
U.S. foreign aid to the Colombian military as it contributes to violence
throughout the country.
- Human rights abuses by U.S. foreign aid recipients violate US laws,
rendering efforts by persons such as Senator Leahy to make U.S. aid
contingent on democratic and human rights improvements meaningless.
- Links between the paramilitary and the cocaine trade further weaken
the administration's justification of aid to Colombia to fight narco-trafficking.
In addition, aid to military units only succeeds in increasing violence
and systematic violations of fundamental human rights, including the
right to organized labor.
IF YOU CAN'T CALL, FAX OR EMAIL YOUR SENATOR
While a phone call generally has more impact on your
senator, a hand written, faxed, or email letter still gets
you message across to your elected official.
The Honorable__________
US Senate
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Senator_______,
As a constituent concerned about US foreign policy on Colombia,
I urge you to raise concerns about the use of US monies to the repressive
Colombian government during expected Senate deliberations on the 2004
foreign aid bill next week.
More trade unionists are killed in Colombia than all other countries
combined. In fact, 85% of trade unionists killed in 2002 (184 out
of 213) were Colombians.
Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade
unionist. Since 1985 4,000 trade unionists have been murdered. The
majority of these deaths are attributed to paramilitary forces many
of whom are linked to the Colombian military. Yet the U.S. is spending
hundreds of millions of dollars each year to support the Colombian
military while virtually no one has been brought to justice for these
murders. In 2003, $500 million of the $605 million of U.S. foreign
aid for Colombia was direct to military funding.
Now the Bush Administration is asking to increase military aid for
Colombia to $530 million in 2004 on top of the $105 million in "emergency"
military aid already approved by Congress in April 2003.
I urge the U.S. to re-direct foreign aid to support civil society,
the rule of law, and economic development instead of funding the Colombian
military. Plan Colombia, which began under the Clinton Administration
in 2000, was presented as an effort to fight the drug war and promote
democracy but instead it has increasingly been directed at the country's
internal conflict, supporting the government's fight against guerillas.
This past year $90 million of Plan Colombia aid went to help the
Colombian army guard an oil pipeline that is partially owned by U.S.
based Occidental Petroleum.
The 2004 foreign aid bill contains almost $600 million in aid to
Colombia, the vast majority of which is military aid. Starting last
year, military aid to Colombia can be used for both counter-drug efforts--
mostly the aerial fumigation of drug crops-- and counterinsurgency.
The US should not support the Colombian military which continues
to collaborate with paramilitaries which target Colombian trade unionists.
I urge you to raise these concerns and question the use of our aid
monies to support one of the most repressive governments in the world.
Sincerely,
[Name and address]
Please visit our website to keep updated on the latest
legislative developments: www.campaignforlaborrights.org
or email us.
Other useful sites:
www.lawg.org
www.usleap.org
CAMPAIGN FOR LABOR RIGHTS
clr@campaignforlaborrights.org
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