Meeting to discuss situation of human rights defenders in Colombia with Vice President Francisco Santos

The Director of Front Line, Mary Lawlor, met with Vice President Francisco Santos, Tuesday 23rd March 2004, to raise the ongoing grave situation for human rights defenders in Colombia, including widespread death threats, assassination attempts, intimidation, harassment, “disappearances”, lawsuits, arbitrary detentions, torture and murder, as well as the gender specific risks faced by women human rights defenders in Colombian society. Vice President Santos has responsibility for human rights in the Colombian government.

She discussed statistics of murders of human rights defenders and trade unionists since President Uribe took office – 60 from August 2002 to December 2003 – and quoted the statement of paramilitary leader Carlos Castano in an interview in Semana regarding trade unionists – “TradeUnionists prevent people from working. It is for that reason that we kill them.” She mentioned in particular the pattern of threats, intimidation and killings faced by organisations such as the Corporacion Colectivo de Aborados Jose Alvear Restrepo, Organizacion Femenina Popular (OFP), Fundacion Comite de Solidaridad con los Presos Politicos (FCSPP), La Asociacion de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos (ASAFADDES), Fundacion para la Defensa y Promocion de los Derechos Humanos (REINICIAR), Federacion Nacional Sindical Unitaria Agorpecuaria (FENSUAGRO), Commision Interecesial Justicia y Paz ,Corporacion Regional para la Defensa de los Derechos Humans (CREDHOS) Asociacion Nacional de Mujeres Campesinas (ANMUCIC) and Asociacion Campesina Valle del Rio Cimitarra (ACVC).

In addition, she raised the cases of those human rights defenders who are currently on paramilitary death lists – Yolanda Becerra (President OFP), Jahel Quiroga (REINICIAR), Danilo Rueda (Justice and Peace) and Gloria Flores (Minga). Vice President Carlos Santos appeared to know all these people.

She acknowledged the protection programme put in place in 1997 by the Pastrana Administration but said that lack of political will on the part of the administration under Uribe undermined the programme.Vice President Carlos Santos stated that the budget for protection for human rights defenders has quadrupled to $12,000,000, and that they carry out immediate investigations in response to complaints. He also emphasized that he aims to get local government and mayors involved in taking responsibility for human rights at local level. While he acknowledged a failure in protecting trade unionists, he said he hoped this intermediate level of responsibility would improve matters.

However, Mary Lawlor noted that human rights defenders in Colombia feel there is no use receiving protection on the one hand if on the other hand the government continually discredits them. Both the Colombian President and Minister for the Interior have alleged that human rights defenders are linked to guerrillas, and that their activities are subversive or terrorist. She pointed out that defamatory statements made by those in power create a hostile environment, in which paramilitaries, in alliance with security forces, carry out killings of people labeled subversives.

Mary Lawlor requested the release of Luz Perly Cordoba, President of the Arauca Campesino Association and a guest at the 2nd Front Line Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders. She was arrested on 18 February 2004, reportedly in reprisal for accompanying members of the Colombia Solidarity Campaign on a human rights mission to Arauca. The Vice President replied that he was aware that her case was sensitive, and that he had emphasized to the Attorney General the need for concrete evidence of subversive activities on her part. However, he stressed that owing to the separation of powers, the Attorney General’s office is independent of the government.

While Front Line is aware of the separation of powers, concerns have been expressed that there is a pattern in Colombia of human rights defenders being detained without concrete evidence against them, and then being released before being brought to trial. As Colombia is party to the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the government has an obligation to address this pattern. Furthermore, Front Line argues that if evidence is not produced, Luz Perly should be released.

In relation to the recommendations of UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders, Ms. Hina Jilani, to the Colombian government, the Vice President stated that he had organized a meeting between NGOs and the High Commissioner of Command but that the NGOs had cancelled. However, he was unable to specify when the meeting had been scheduled for or who exactly was invited (though he noted they were representatives from the organisations previously mentioned by Mary Lawlor).