[g8-sheffield] Afro-Colombians to visit Sheffield to denounce state terrorism, racism and ecological destruction

Mon May 22 15:52:36 BST 2006

Hello everyone,

please widely circulate the attached leaflet, which advertises a visit to
Sheffield by three local leaders of Colombia's 'Black Communities Process'.
The leaflet text has been reproduced below.

One of them, Arcenides Candelo, has been denied a visa by the UK government.
Why? - because she is 5 months pregnant. Presumably, the govt. is scared
that she might require NHS services while in the UK!!! Meanwhile, the UK is
draining poor countries of their doctors and nurses!!!!! 

I've also reproduced below the latest 'Urgent Action' from Colombia. Such
dreadful bulletins arrive every week, but of course go unreported in the
media. You'd never guess that Colombia has more internal refugees than
Dafur/Sudan! Of course, the US doesn't need to disguise itself in the UN's
blue berets in order to mount an imperialist military intervention in
Colombia; they're already there, training death squads and spraying the
jungle with defoliants... 

best wishes

JS

Colombia: Social Movements resist repression, corporate take-over

Public Meeting:  7.30pm  Thursday 8 June 

Function Room, Spital Hill Plaza, 68 Spital Hill, S3

(near Burngreave Green)

with Jorge Aramburo, Arcenides Candelo & Maria Valencia from Proceso de
Comunidades Negras  (Black Communities Process)

Members of Proceso de Comunidades Negras (PCN) are to visit Sheffield as
part of a European tour. They want the world to know of the violence and
injustice suffered by Colombia’s poor majority, especially black and
indigenous peoples, of their resistance and of their determination to
achieve social justice and protect nature.

Afro-Colombians, a fifth of Colombia’s 45 million people, are concentrated
in the lush and resource-rich lands along its Pacific coast. For years,
they’ve been subjected to cruel repression by right-wing paramilitary forces
attempting to clear their land for ‘development’ by local businessmen and
foreign investors. 

Afro-Colombians figure disproportionately among Colombia’s 3 million
internal refugees. Many PCN activists and leaders have been assassinated, a
fate met by thousands of Colombian trade unionists, students and community
activists each year.

Please make sure that Jorge, Arcenides & Maria receive a warm welcome to
Sheffield. Come and hear how, in face of great odds, their struggle
continues, and discuss how we can make a difference!

Colombia Solidarity Campaign, PO Box 8446, London N17 6NZ

HYPERLINK
"http://www.colombiasolidarity.org.uk/"www.colombiasolidarity.org.uk   For
local info, contact 07973 866 323

COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT BRUTALLY ATTACKS RURAL PROTESTS IN THE SOUTH WEST OF
COLOMBIA 

Beginning on the 15th May 2006 more than fifteen thousand representatives of
campesino, indigenous and black community groups from across the South West
of Colombia began arriving at the Indigenous Reserve of 'La Maria' in the
department of Cauca, South West Colombia.  They were there to protest the
effects of the Free Trade Agreement signed between Colombia and the United
States and to criticise the lack of progress on national and regional
agreements to expand land rights to indigenous and black communities in the
region.

The protestors took the decision to peacefully occupy the Pan-American
Highway, which links the Departments of Valle de Cauca, Cauca and Narino and
extends downwards to Ecuador.  They demanded that the government begin
dialogue with these marginalised populations and comply with its legal
obligations. In characteristic Colombia state style the Uribe government met
peaceful protest with overwhelming violence. 

On Tuesday 16th May ESMAD, the Colombia riot police, entered La Maria
injuring 26 people and shooting three. Pedro Coscue, was one of those shot
and he later died of his wounds. 

On Wednesday protests continued and the ESMAD repeated their attacks.  By
Thursday 18th May many more protestors had been injured and 19 people were
reported 'disappeared' with their whereabouts unknown and the Colombian
authorities refusing to concede whether they were in custody.

Even more worrying was the action of the Governor of the Cauca Region who
suggested that the protests were being led by the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC). The governor's words served to legitimise the excessive
use of force by the police. Accusations that the protests were coordinated
by the FARC were fiercely denied by the protestors and their
representatives. Floro Tunubala, the ex governor of the Cauca Department and
the first ever indigenous governor in Colombia, criticised the current
governor for 'forgetting that the indigenous movement and the social
organisations of Cauca have rejected and condemned the barbarities committed
by the guerrilla and the paramilitaries in Colombia, and have demanded
respect for life through a series of marches realised over the last few
years rejecting the armed conflict in the region'.

The organisations leading the protest are now calling for national and
international solidarity to challenge the repressive actions of the state
and are demanding that the United Nations sends a delegation to monitor the
situation. They are calling on the government to respect the right to
peaceful protest of the more than 15,000 demonstrators and to desist from
using excessive force and violent against them.

Please send letters urging the Colombian government to respect the
fundamental human rights of protesters, release the 19 'disappeared'
protestors, and address the legitimate demands of Colombia's indigenous,
black and campesino populations:

Please send messages of protest to (sample letter below):

HYPERLINK "mailto:auribe at presidencia.gov.co"auribe at presidencia.gov.co;
HYPERLINK "mailto:mail at colombianembassy.co.uk"mail at colombianembassy.co.uk

With Copies to:

HYPERLINK "mailto:dhprohibidolvidar at yahoo.com"dhprohibidolvidar at yahoo.com;
HYPERLINK
"mailto:info at colombiasolidarity.org.uk"info at colombiasolidarity.org.uk

Sample Letter:

Dear President Uribe,

We, members of the international community are deeply concerned for the
wellbeing and human rights of the thousands of indigenous, black and
campesino communities that have gathered in the South West of Colombia to
peacefully protest against current government policies.

We call on the Colombian Government to respect the fundamental human rights
of all Colombia's citizens and to ensure the swift return of the following
disappeared people:

1. Wilmer Vitonaz Mosquera 22 años (Corinto, las Cruces)

2. Niña de 7 años de apellido Peteche  (Caloto Resguardo del Huila) 

3. Elías Sánchez 40 años (Tacueyó) 

4. Adolfo Coicué, 28 años (Tacueyó, zona Damián) 

5. José Alexander Yalanda 18 años (La María) 

6. Adriana Valencia 24 años (Morales zona de honduras) 

7. Misael Biscunda Chocué (San pablo) 

8. Manuel Yalanda (La María) 

9. Luis Enrique Acosta Casamachin 45 años (Corinto, San Pablo) 

10. Miguel  Carabalí -afrodescendiente- 45 años (Salvajina)

11. Ernesto Rodallejas -Afrodescendiente- 35 años(Salvajina)

12. Víctor Masuique 50 años (Pajarito)

13. Gentil Geucha isco 18 años (Caloto, resguardo Huila)

14. Alberto Rivera 26 años (Jambaló, la mina) 

15. Luz Mery Chocué 25 años (Jambaló, La Mina) 

16. Carolina Opocué 27 años (Toribío) 

17. Vilma Rivera 26 años (Santander zona urbana) 

18. Carlos Andrés Ruíz 22 años (Santander zona urbana) 

19. María Opocué 26 años (Toribío)

Furthermore, we demand that the Colombian government investigates the events
surrounding the assassination of Pedro Coscue and call for the prosecution
of those responsible.

Faithfully

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