Vol. 4 Nº 2 February - July 2000 - Amnesty International · Vol. 4 Nº 2 February - July 2000 ......

Vol. 4 Nº 2 February - July 2000

On the front line

Regional Action Network on Human Rights Defenders

Colombian

government fails to

prevent killing of yet

another human rights

defender

Jesús Ramiro Zapata Hoyos, a

human rights defender of the

Comité de Derechos

Humanos del Nordeste

Antioqueño, Human Rights

Committee of Northeast

Antioquia, was killed on 3

May 2000 in Segovia,

Antioquia department,

Colombia.

This bulletin is dedicated to the memory of Jesús Ramiro Zapata Hoyos

2 On the front line February - July 2000

Public Amnesty International, AMR 01/02/00

Jesús Ramiro was the last

surviving member of the

Comité de Derechos

Humanos de Segovia,

Segovia Human Rights

Committee, one of the

non-governmental human

rights organizations that

have been the target of a

systematic campaign of

persecution by the

Colombian military and

their paramilitary allies in

the rural region of

Northeast Antioquia.

Jesús Ramiro’s work was

fundamental in bringing

to light the gross violations

of human rights

committed in the region

by paramilitary forces

often acting with the

compliance of the Armed

Forces and in pressuring

to bring those responsible

to justice. A paramilitary

incursion into Segovia on

22 April 1996 left 15

people dead and two

‘disappeared’. As a result

of pressure by the Segovia

Human Rights Committee

the atrocities have been

investigated and

Colombian Army captain,

Rodrigo CaZas Forero, has

been convicted of direct

participation in the events.

In Colombia, where

impunity is almost always

guaranteed for military

personnel involved in

human rights violations,

this indicates a significant

achievement.

In February 1998,

following more than four

years of persistent threats,

spurious criminal charges

and arbitrary detentions

the Inter-American

Human Rights Commission

(IAHCR) instructed the

Colombian government to

take precautionary

measures to protect Jesús

Ramiro. Tragically, the

Colombian authorities once

again failed to do this.

Had the Colombian

government effectively

implemented the IAHCR

request the killing of Jesús

Ramiro, like that of other

human rights defenders

such as Josué Giraldo,

could have been prevented.

With the killing Jesús

Ramiro Zapata Hoyos,

Colombia loses yet another

courageous individual who

was prepared to put his

life at risk for the defence

and promotion human

rights.

Viviana Díaz is president of the

Agrupación de Familiares de los

Detenidos Desaparecidos,

Association of Relatives of the

Detained Disappeared of Chile.

In April 2000 she spoke to

Amnesty International about her

23 year struggle to discover the

truth about the ‘disappearance’

of her father and the effects, both

positive and negative, that the

detention of Augusto Pinochet

has had on the Agrupación.

CHILE: “This is

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

Yet another fatal blow to the defence

of human rights in Colombia .......... 1

This is about much more than just

looking for someone ........................ 2

Jamaica: Human rights defenders

threatened and discredited ............... 4

UN establishes special representative

on human rights defenders .............. 5

Appeals cases: Brazil ....................... 5

Colombia .......................................... 6

Peru

Colombian authorities fail to prevent

killing of yet another human rights

defender ............................................ 1

Chile: “This is about much more

than just looking for someone” ....... 2

Jamaica: Human rights defenders



about much more

than just looking for

someone”

“Pinochet’s detention was, for us,

the first big act of justice. It

signifies world recognition of

what Pinochet did to our country.

The world’s moral

condemnation of Pinochet also

represents an act of reparation for

the relatives of the victims, and

for all those who, in some way,

are fighting against impunity. It

also means the end of the

“untouchables” in

Chile: those who placed

themselves above

justice, who thought no

one would ever hold

them to account for

what happened, are

finished. Today, all

those people of a lower

rank than Pinochet who

violated human rights,

are saying “if they can

detain the Captain

General, then it’s no longer so

easy. I can no longer be certain

that they will not prosecute me.”

“Our relatives did not commit any

crime, it is only because they

thought differently that today they

are ‘detained-disappeared’. It

took us a long time to get their

‘disappearance’ recognised, with

the detention of Pinochet it is

evident even to those who denied

it in the past. Those who in the

past spoke of the so-called

‘disappeared’, today say the

problem is real and it must be

resolved. But they try to resolve

it by telling us that the

‘disappeared’ were killed. And

that since they are dead, it is no

longer a kidnapping, because the

crime of kidnapping is an

ongoing crime that continues to

be committed until the victim is

found, alive or dead. And since

they are dead then perhaps the

1978 Amnesty Law applies.

What they want is to end this

drama, which has affected the

whole country, without justice.

“Many people used to say to us

“this is a dictatorship, what sense

is there in going to the law

courts?” We always replied, “it

doesn’t matter, we need to leave a

record.” We never imagined the

search would go on for so long.

“When I started looking for my

father, in 1976, 32 months into

the military dictatorship, I was so

naive that I thought I would be

able to make them acknowledge

my father’s detention and put him

on trial. I thought I would see

him in prison. I wasn’t prepared

to never see him again.

“The Agrupación de Familiares

de los Desaparecidos Detenidos

has been struggling for justice for

so many years. The physical and

mental cost has been enormous.

We have knocked on thousands of

doors, and at each one they have

answered, “No, it’s not true.

He’s not here. You are

imagining things. These things

didn’t happen in Chile.” We

have shared half our lives with

the Agrupación, something which

I haven’t done even with

my real family, because as

with many other families

in Chile, they became afraid and

withdrew. In my 23 years in the

Agrupación I have come to know

the lives of almost all the

detained-disappeared people, and

I can see that these people had

dreams, ideals and hopes. No

one had the right to kill them.

These people cannot be forgotten

and erased from the face of the

earth without anybody being held

responsible.

“Last year, when Sola Sierra

(former president of the

Agrupación) unexpectedly died it

was a terrible blow for us. She

joined the Agrupación in May

1976 and her husband was

‘disappeared’ the following

December. We got to know each

other, and we developed not only

a work relationship but also a

friendship by the end she was part

of my family.“Before Pinochet’s

detention, we would not be

interviewed in the media. To

make the headlines, we would



have had to go out on the streets

and get ourselves arrested. For

10 years we weren’t invited to

appear on a single television

programme. I’m not saying that

we are invited to that many now,

but we have received some

invitations. As a result of the

world-wide commotion about

Pinochet’s detention, the Chilean

media was forced to open up. We

also became sources of opinion

about the proceedings in Spain

and England. In Chile, the

Agrupación became a respected

reference. We were able to hold

a huge solidarity concert in

March 2000 in the National

Stadium in Santiago which more

than 60,000 people attended.

This shows that the people have

an understanding of our struggle

“We have won respect and

credibility in Chile because of the

work we have done. For example,

when the new government took

office in March 2000,

representatives arrived from all

over the world, and came to talk

to us. On previous occasions we

had to request meetings, but this

time they wanted to speak to us.

We have also made progress at a

national level. Right-wing

deputies and senators have

publically acknowledged that the

problem of the

detained-disappeared is a real and

tragic problem. This is progress.

However they are always

looking for solutions that don’t

involve them being judged. For

them the solution is for the

present government to pass a ‘full

stop law’ (ley de punto final), to

turn the page and that will be the

end of it.

“During the dictatorship we

received death threats from

various groups. After the

dictatorship, for many years we

didn’t receive any threats. It was

only when the Minister opened

the investigation into Colonia

Dignidad1

that Sola Sierra,

another colleague called Mariana

Guzman, and myself received

new threats. They told us over the

phone that we didn’t have much

time left, that they were going to

kill us. So we filed a recurso de

protección (official request for

protection), informed the media,

and the threats stopped.

“With the detention of Pinochet,

the telephone threats started

again. Then lots of little bits of

paper appeared in the garden of

my house. At first I was going to

sweep them up and throw them in

the rubbish. Each one said

things like “before the cock

crows, you won’t be here

anymore. You’re going to die.

You have little time left. You’re

time has run out.”

“It wasn’t only the Agrupación

that was threatened at this time,

but also the members of

Corporación de Promoción y

Defensa de los Derechos del

Pueblo (Codepu), Corporation for

the Promotion and Defence of the

Rights of the People, and several

lawyers. Everyone who was

involved in some way with the

Pinochet case experienced these

threats. We had a meeting with

the Vice-Secretary of the Interior,

and they offered us protection.

“In my case protection measures

1Colonia Dignidad was a

centre of detention and torture of

political prisoners during the

dictatoship of Augusto Pinochet.

were adopted, and they gave me a

plain clothes policeman to

accompany me for a month. But

this police force didn’t have any

cars, so the Agrupación had to

hire a car to pick me up from my

house. In the end, this

accompaniment became too

expensive for the Agrupación.

“I find it outrageous that, 10 years

into the transition to democracy,

these threats still go on, and if the

government makes no effort to

investigate such intimidation,

then what country are we living

in? Personally it annoyed me

that I had to go everywhere with a

policeman, that I had to be careful

of where I went and what I did.

For me, this brought about

another dilemma which I had

never felt before.



“Later, in December 1999, they

sent me a Christmas card which

said they were going to “volar los

sesos” (blow our brains out) to

stop us carrying on our work.

We gave a press conference,

because we’ve always said that

we wouldn’t be intimidated by

these threats. I think that living

in a dictatorship for 17 years

helped us to overcome the fear

and terror. They just wanted the

Agrupación to reduce its

demands. But we have always

said that we are prepared to give

our lives if necessary and if

anything happens to Mireya

Garcia (the General Secretary of

the Agrupación) or to me, there

are other relatives who will

continue our work. Nothing will

intimidate us.

“I think the fact that we had so

much international support lead

other organizations in our country

to support us as well. This has

created a very different situation

and we haven’t had any problems

recently, and happily neither have

the other NGOs. Thanks to this

I’m not worried.”

JAMAICA: Human

rights defenders

threatened and

discredited Jamaicans for Justice, a human

rights organization working to

bring to justice those

responsible for security

force brutality, has

recently suffered a series

of threats and incidents of

harassment.

Following the killing of

two policemen in separate

incidents in April 2000,


with Jamaicans for Justice

received threatening

phone calls at the

organization’s offices in

Kingston, Jamaica.

In an article published in

the Jamaican national

newspaper, Sunday

Observer, on 30 April

2000 the Minister for

National Security, K.D

Knight, and the Reverend

Irving Townsend

questioned the sincerity of

those defending human

rights, claiming they care

little for police officers

killed in the line of duty

and labelling them

‘human rights wimps’.

The comments implied

that the police cannot

protect themselves while

respecting the human

rights of others and

inferred that those who

seek to hold the police to

universal standards of

human rights are

supporting the activity of

criminals.

Further concern was

generated when the Police

Federation labelled the

human rights group as

"suspicious" and stated

that the Federation will

monitor the group’s

actions closely.

Jamaicans for Justice,

founded in August 1999,

is one of very few

non-governmental

organizations working to

defend and promote

human rights in Jamaica.

They are working to



bring to justice those

responsible for such

violations as that of Michael

Gayle, a man suffering from

mental health problems who, on

21 August 1999, approached a

security barrier established by

police and army officers in

Kingston. Minutes later Gayle

had been beaten to such an extent

that he died two days later.

The organization has also been

working on the critical situation

in Jamaica’s prisons. In attacks

beginning on 21 May 2000 and

apparently lasting several days

soldiers and prison wardens

reportedly beat 300 inmates of St

Catherine's District Prison,

Spanish Town with batons, rifles,

baseball bats, irons and electric

wire. At least two inmates are

alleged to have been shot.

Expressing their thanks for the

support they received from the

international community at the

time of the harassment,

Jamaicans for Justice said, “We

feel the comments were the

beginning of an orchestrated

campaign aimed at tarnishing our

image and credibility so as to

limit support for our activities

which we feel is growing. It

appears to have back-fired with a

significant proportion of the

population. It is a great feeling

to be part of a growing body of

world citizenry who care about

fundamental rights and freedoms

and who are willing to go to bat

in defence of them, and of other

groups who work in that arena.

Thanks for the support”

UN establishes Special

Representative on

Human Rights

Defenders

At its 56th session in April 2000

the United Nations Commission

on Human Rights requested the

creation of a Special

Representative on human rights

defenders. The mandate of this

Special Representative, which

will last for a period of three

years, will be to seek, receive,

examine and respond to

information on the

situation and the rights of

human rights defenders in

all parts of the world.

The Special Representative

would also establish

cooperation and dialogue

with governments and

other interested actors on

the effective

implementation of the UN

Declaration on Defenders

(Declaration on the Right

and Responsibility of

Individuals, Groups and

Organs of Society to

Promote and Protect

Universally Recognized

Human Rights and

Fundamental Freedoms)

adopted by the UN

General Assembly on 9

December 1998 and

recommend strategies to

better protect human

rights defenders.

The post of Special

Representative potentially has a

higher profile than the similar one

of Special Rapporteur and it is a

welcome addition to the

mechanisms already in place

which oblige governments to

protect human rights defenders.

The mandate has been approved

by the UN Economic and Social

Council in June 2000 and it is

hoped that the person appointed

will have access to the necessary

resources to fully carry out the

mandate, in particular in countries

where human rights defenders

face imminent danger.

It is expected that the person

appointed to the post of Special

Representative on human rights

defenders will be named in the

next few months.

This increasing international

concern for the security of human

rights defenders was mirrored in

the inter-American system during

the General Assembly of the

Organization of American States

(OAS) which was held in

Windsor, Canada in May 2000.

In the new resolution Human

Rights Defenders in the

Americas: Support for the

individuals, groups and

organizations of civil society

working to promote and protect

human rights in the Americas

(AG/RES. 1711 (XXX-O/00)) the

OAS reiterated the support

expressed in last years resolution



for the work carried out by

human rights defenders. It also

urged its member states to

intensify efforts to adopt the

necessary measures to guarantee

the life and freedom of

expression of human rights

defenders and instructed the

Permanent Council to present a

report on compliance with the

resolution.

APPEALS CASES

BRAZIL: Threats

against human rights

defenders over land

issues

Members of the Commisão

Pastoral da Terra (CPT), Pastoral

Land Commission, in Xinguara,

in the south of Pará State are

believed to be at grave risk of

retaliation as a result of their

work to bring to justice those

responsible for the killing of land

activists in the region.

This area has long been the focal

point for the killings of land

activists by local landowners,

which go unpunished for many

years. The CPT has worked

tirelessly against these killings,

and for the defence of land

activists. Their work has brought

them into conflict with

landowners and their supporters

in positions of authority.

One of the organization’s lawyers,

Frei (Brother) Henri de Rosiers,

has been named on a “death list”

drawn up by a death squad

believed to operate with the

acquiescence of the police.

There is also increased concern

for the safety of other CPT

members Anilson Russi, Ana de

Sousa Pinto and Airton dos Reis

Perreira.

Brother Henri was the

prosecution lawyer in the trial of

a powerful local landowner,

accused of ordering the killing of

land activist Expedito Ribeiro de

Souza, president of the Sindicato

de Trabalhadores Rurais, Union

of Rural Workers, who was

murdered on 2 February 1991 in

Rio Maria, Pará. On 6 June the

landowner, Jeronimo Alves de

Amorim, was finally sentenced to

19 and a half years for the

crime. This is the first time that

a landowner has faced trial, let

alone been convicted, and it

stands as a testament to the long

and hard work of human rights

activists such as the members of

the CPT, the victims and their

relatives.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send telegrams/telexes/

faxes/letters in Portuguese or

your own language

· calling for an immediate

investigation into the alleged

“death-list” naming Frei Henri

de Rosiers and other people in

Xinguara;

· expressing concern at

apparent death squad activity

in the south of Pará and

calling for a full investigation;

· urging the Brazilian

government to adhere to its

obligations regarding human

rights defenders, as laid out in

the UN Declaration on the

Right and Responsibility of


Organs of Society to Promote

and Protect Universally

Recognised Human Rights

and Fundamental Freedoms

adopted on 9 December 1998,

and the Organization of

American States Human

Rights Defenders in the

Americas resolution adopted

on 7 June 1999 [AG/RES.

1671 (XXIX-O/99)].

APPEALS TO:

Governor Pará State

Exmo. Sr. Governador do Estado

do Pará

Sr. Almir José de Oliveira Gabriel

Palácio dos Despachos

Rod.Montenegro

KM9,66823-010, Belém - PA,

Brazil

Fax: + 55 91 248 0133

Salutation:Vossa Excelência/Your

Excellency

Minister of Justice

Exmo. Sr. Ministro da Justiça do

Brasil, Dr. José Gregori

Ministério da Justiça

Esplanada dos Ministérios,

Bloco 23, CEP 70064-900,

Brasília- DF, Brazil

Fax: + 55 61 224 2448/322 6817

Salutation: Vossa



Excelência/Your Excellency

COPIES TO:

Pastoral Land Commission

Commissão Pastoral da Terra

Rua Pau Brasil 40, Caixa Postal

57

Xinguara, 68555-000, Pará,

Brazil

COLOMBIA: Women’s

human rights

organization at risk

from paramilitaries The Organización Femenina

Popular (OFP) is a grass-roots

organization which works with

women, young people and

displaced families in the

Magdalena Medio region of

Colombia where the armed

conflict is played out with

increasing brutality and human

rights violations are widespread.

The women promote human

rights awareness, provide

humanitarian assistance and run

cultural training courses with the

aim of presenting alternatives to

these vulnerable sectors of society

who are under great pressure

from violent armed groups. The

organization has women’s centres

in several outlying villages as

well as in the town of

Barrancabermeja.

This work has recently lead them

to be threatened by army-backed

paramilitary groups who are

increasingly active in the

Magdalena Medio region. The

Colombian army are due to

withdraw from the region in

preparation for peace negotiations

under an agreement between the

Colombian government and the

armed opposition group Ejército

de Liberación Nacional (ELN),

the National Liberation Army.

The paramilitaries oppose such a

move since this will mean their

loss of control in the region and

for some months they have

reportedly been forcing local

people to take part in mass

‘protests’ against the withdrawal

of the army.

On 22 May a group of men, who

identified themselves as

paramilitaries, asked to borrow

cooking equipment from the OFP

in Puerto Wilches, Santander for

use on one of these ‘protests’.

The women refused, and the men

returned after half an hour

threatening that “mañana a las 8

de la mañana venimos a llevar lo

que necesitamos porque nosotros

mandamos en Puerto Wilches. Si

no lo entrega se lo cobramos a la

coordinadora” (“tomorrow at

8am we will come to collect what

we need, because we give the

orders in Puerto Wilches. If you

don't hand it over, your leader

(Flor Caña) will pay for it.'

The OFP immediately lodged an

official complaint with the

authorities. The following day

they received a warning from the

paramilitaries to withdraw the

complaint or “take the

consequences”. (“que se

levantara la denuncia que se

colocó ante las autoridades

competentes del

municipio...aténganse a las

consecuencias”).

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send telegrams/

telexes/faxes/letters in Spanish or

your own language:

· urging the Colombian

authorities to implement the

precautionary measures

recently recommended for the

Organización Femenina

Popular by the Inter-American

Human Rights Commission

and to take urgent and

appropriate measures to

guarantee the safety of the

organization’s members and to

enable them to continue their

legitimate work for the

The following are extracts from two communiques issued by the Organización Femenina Popular (OFP) on 22 and 23 May

2000

“Women’s voices.

This incident occurs in the context of ongoing pressure over several months by these men towards the OFP, both

in Puerto Wilches and in San Pablo (Bolívar), who are trying to force us to participate in their meetings and

marches. Such action undermines our right to independence from the armed groups, given that the OFP is a

completely civilian and autonomous organization. (...) As women, the creators of life even in the midst of war,

we are increasingly conscious of our legitimate right to take no part in the armed conflict and to maintain

complete independence towards the armed actors. We understand this (latest incident) as a threat not only to

Flor Cañas, but also to all the women who make up the OFP in the region(...).

Women do not give birth or create life for the war.”

Organización Femenina Popular (OFP)



defence and promotion of

human rights;

· urging the Colombian

government to adhere to its

obligations regarding human

rights defenders, as laid out in

the UN Declaration on the

Right and Responsibility of


Organs of Society to Promote

and Protect Universally

Recognised Human Rights

and Fundamental Freedoms

adopted on 9 December 1998,

the Organization of American

States Human Rights

Defenders in the Americas

resolution adopted on 7 June

1999 [AG/RES. 1671

(XXIX-O/99)] and in line

with repeated

recommendations made by the

UN to the Colombian

government to take measures

to guarantee the safety of

human rights defenders.

APPEALS TO:

President of the Republic

Señor Presidente Andrés Pastrana

Presidente de la República,

Palacio de Nariño,

Carrera 8 No.7-26,

Bogotá, COLOMBIA

Fax:+57 1 286 7434/287

7939/284 2186/337 1351

Salutation:Excmo. Sr Presidente

Commander of the 5th Brigade of

the Colombian Armed Forces

General Martín Orlando Carreño

Calle 14, Carrera 33

Bucaramanga, Santander,

Colombia

Fax:+ 57 76 455051 / 76 351493

Salutation: Sr. General

COPIES TO:

Organización Femenina Popular

Cra22 No 52–36,

Barrancabermeja, Santander,

Colombia

PERU: False charges

against human rights

defender

On 20 March 2000 a landowner

filed charges against Martha

Cueva Muñoz, legal adviser of

the Comité Vicarial de Derechos

Humanos del Vicariato

Apostólico de Pucallpa, Human

Rights Committee of the

Apostolic Vicarage of Pucallpa,

under Peru's wide-ranging

anti-terrorist legislation. People

facing such charges are swiftly

arrested, and are often tortured in

detention. Amnesty

International believes these

charges are unfounded, and

would consider Martha Cueva

Muñoz a prisoner of conscience if

she were arrested.

In December 1998 10 families

living on land claimed by a

sawmill owner in Ucayali

Department in eastern Peru asked

Martha Cueva Muñoz to

intervene to stop them being

evicted. When she arrived,

police attempting to evict the

families were being attacked with

stones and bottles, and were using

teargas. One sawmill worker had

apparently been killed. A brush

fire was burning, and both the

sawmill owner and the families

asked Martha Cueva Muñoz to

act as a mediator so that firemen

could get the fire under control

and the two sides could negotiate.

No agreement was reached, and

the 10 families were eventually

evicted.

The owner of the sawmill

company filed charges against

Martha Cueva, under Peru's 1992

Anti-Terrorism legislation, as she

had been present and acted as a

mediator during the December

1998 incident.

The Provincial Prosecutor in

charge of the case ruled on 4 May

that there was no evidence to

support the charges against

Martha Cueva, and ordered the

case closed. However, the State

Prosecutor has filed a complaint

against this ruling. The Superior

Prosecutor of Ucayali department

will decide in due course whether

the complaint against the

provincial prosecutor's decision

should stand, and whether Martha

Cueva should face charges.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send telegrams/

telexes/faxes/letters in Spanish or

your own language:

· expressing serious concern

that human rights activist

Martha Cueva Muñoz could

be falsely charged with

terrorism-related offences on

account of her human rights

activities;

· urging the authorities to

ensure that the charges against

Martha Cueva are dropped, in

accordance with the provincial

prosecutor's ruling of 4 May

2000, and that she is allowed

to exercise her right to defend

human rights in accordance

with the principles of the

United Nations Declaration

on the Right and

Responsibility of Individuals,

Groups and Organs of Society

to Promote and Protect

Universally Recognized

Human Rights and

Fundamental Freedoms, of 9

December 1998.

APPEALS TO:



Justice Minister

Señor Alberto Bustamante

Belaúnde

Ministro de Justicia,

Ministerio de Justicia,

Scipión Llona 350,

Miraflores, Lima 18, PERU

Fax: + 511 422 3577

Salutation: Dear Minister/

Sr.Ministro

Attorney General

Dr. Blanca Nélida Colán

Fiscal de la Nación,

Fiscalía de la Nación

Av. Abancay, cuadra 5 s/n,

Lima 1, PERU

Fax: + 511 426 4620/5011/5010

Salutation: Dear Attorney

General/Sra. Fiscal de la Nación

COPIES TO:

Human rights organization

Coordinadora Nacional de

Derechos Humanos, CNDDHH

Jr. Túpac Amaru 2467, Lince,

Lima 14, Peru

NOTICE BOARD

MEXICO: A tribute to

Doña Rosario Ibarra

The following are excerpts from a

speech made, on12 May 2000, by

Michael Chamberlain Ruiz of the

Red Nacional de Organismos

Civiles de Derechos Humanos

“Todos los derechos para todos”,

National Network of Civil Human

Rights Organisms “All rights

for all”, in homage to Rosario

Ibarra, who has campaigned, for

more than 25 years, for the truth

regarding the disappearance of

her son.

“ (...)Doña Rosario and the

mothers of the ‘disappeared’,

have become a living

recrimination, a shout that is

impossible to silence, a stubborn

hope which has given rise to

many others, ceaselessly

dreaming of a better Mexico, of a

Mexico which will be a state

based on memory, with a

profound respect for human rights

and a profound love for all its

children, especially the smallest,

who are the most vulnerable to

violations of their fundamental

rights.

“We speak out against the 25

years since the government’s

‘disappearance’ of Doña

Rosario’s son (...), which are 25

years of continuing violation.

While the ‘disappeared’ are not

found, the violation endures and

each successive government is

responsible for this until they do

appear. This is why the

government tries to insist through

the Attorney General, the Foreign

Ministry, the CNDH (National

Human Rights Commission), etc.

that the ‘disappeared’ are dead or

that they disappeared of their own

free will. This act of denial is

part of the terror of forced

disappearances and the worst

punishment is that society also

forgets and gives them up for

dead or ‘falsely disappeared’.

For the sake of the mothers of the

disappeared, for our own

children, we can not ignore the

right to truth and hope, we can

not exonerate the government of

its responsibility, nor the

perpetrators of their punishment.

“These 25 years proclaim that, if

necessary, there will be another

25 years of struggle for the

respect for life. Much remains to

be done to restore the rights of the

victims and their families, and to

guarantee all society and every

child of this land, that these

atrocities will never be repeated.

“It is unacceptable, that after 25

years there is still no law that

recognises ‘disappearance’ as a

serious crime against humanity. It

is unacceptable that after 25

years, the state has not admitted



responsibility for human rights

violations committed by all its

agents, and that there is no

legislation for the reparation of

this damage.

“It is incredible that after all the

atrocities we have suffered at the

hands of the military during the

1970s and those we are

witnessing now, that the system

of military justice has not been

abolished, so that military

personnel can be tried by

civilians, not for issues of military

discipline, but for crimes as

serious as ‘disappearance’, torture

and murder. (...)

“We have immediate obligations

to society, to the victims and their

relatives, to the mothers of the

disappeared and to Doña Rosario.

Today, with the same purpose,

the same urgency and the same

pressing need, we demand: They

took them alive, we want them

back alive!”

COLOMBIA: Protection

of human rights

defenders: One step

forward, three steps

back

In May 2000 Amnesty

International published a new

report ‘Colombia. Protection of

human rights defenders: One step

forward, three steps back’ [AMR

23/22/00] which studies the

situation of human rights

defenders in Colombia. The

report examines some of the

shortfalls of measures taken to

date by the Colombian authorities

to protect human rights

defenders. In particular, it

examines the issue of impunity

for human rights violations

against members of human rights

organizations, showing how some

killings may have been averted if

appropriate steps had been taken

at the time. It also shows how

the lack of an integrated approach

by the Colombian authorities on

the question of protection for


negatively impacts on the safety

of those defenders who continue

to work for the promotion of

human rights in the face of

extremely adverse and precarious

conditions.

For copies of this report in

Spanish, French or English

please contact the Human Rights

Defenders Program (Americas) at

the address at the end of this

bulletin.



This publication is produced by the Program to Promote the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Latin America,

established by Amnesty International in May 1997 to follow-up the Defenders Conference (Bogotá, Colombia, May

1996). Please distribute this bulletin as widely as possible. For more information and to join the Program’s Defenders

Network, write to:

Human Rights Defenders Program, Americas Regional Program,

International Secretariat, Amnesty International,

1 Easton Street, London WC1X 0DW, United Kingdom

(tel: +44 20 7413 5952 / 5537; e-mail: [email protected])

Vol. 4 Nº 2 February - July 2000 - Amnesty International · Vol. 4 Nº 2 February - July 2000 ......

Documents

Transcript of Vol. 4 Nº 2 February - July 2000 - Amnesty International · Vol. 4 Nº 2 February - July 2000 ......