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Action Alert: Colombian Army Kills Three Union Activists!Write to Colombian Authorities!Information in this alert comes from the British organization, Justice
for Colombia . The Colombian army has killed three members of the agricultural workers trade union FENSUAGRO. The three, Javier Alexander Cubillos, Wilder Cubillos and Heriberto Delgado, were all farmers from the town of San Juan de Sumapaz on the outskirts of the Colombian capital Bogotá. On March 18th the men were traveling to the community of La Hoya del Nevado to inspect some cattle when they went missing. Some days later the Colombia media reported that the army had killed three guerrillas in the area and, on March 27th, the families of the three men identified their bodies in a morgue in the town of Fusagasuga . The Colombian Army has claimed that all three were guerrillas that they killed in combat. This is the same claim made by the army last year when they killed three senior trade union leaders in the region of Arauca . A coalition of community groups and trade unions in the region have released a public statement saying that all three men were well-known political and peasant activists in the region who were leading members of both their trade union and the local branch of the Colombian Communist Party. Please send messages of protest to the following Colombian authorities: Vice-President Francisco Santos Minister of Defense Head of Presidential Human Rights Program Sample letter: Dear Vice President Santos or Minister of Defense Uribe, etc.: As a person concerned about human rights, I wish to express my alarm at hearing about the killing of three agricultural union members, Javier Cubillos, Wilder Cubillos and Heriberto Delgado by the Colombian Army. I understand that the three men were all peasant farmers from the town of San Juan de Sumapaz, and members of the agricultural workers trade union FENSUAGRO. While the Colombian Army has claimed that all three were guerrillas who were killed in combat, a coalition of community groups and trade unions in the region has released a public statement saying that all three men were well-known political and peasant activists in the region who were leading members of both their trade union and the local branch of the Colombian Communist Party. In light of this, I urge you to make an exhaustive investigation of these killings, bring those responsible to justice and make changes in the military policies of your government that will make sure this type of killing, which has occurred with shocking regularity in recent years, comes to an end. I call on the Colombian government to begin immediately to respect human rights and to fully implement the recommendations made by the United Nations and the International Labor Organization. Sincerely, [Your name, city, and country] |
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