Extrajudicial Executions.  A group of eleven Colombian human rights organizations representing the coalition Coordinación Colombia-Europa-Estados Unidos reported to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission that hundreds of extrajudicial executions had been committed by the Colombian Armed Forces between July 2002 and June 2006.  To date, the human rights groups have compiled legal evidence for 152 of the 955 cases of complaints that have been filed.  Investigations by the groups also reveal a disturbing trend - extrajudicial executions linked to Colombian state agents are increasing.  While there were 577 cases between July 1997 and June 2002, there were 955 cases of extrajudicial executions over the next five years - representing a 66% increase.  Recent investigations by Colombian human rights groups reveal that from July 2006 to June 2007, extrajudicial executions were prevalent in virtually all of Colombia's 32 departments - with the highest number of cases in Antioquia and Meta.  Moreover, it is estimated that over 99% of all cases of extrajudicial executions investigated remain in impunity.  Of the 955 cases reported to Colombian human rights groups between July 2002 and June 2007, only two have reached a sentencing phase. Further aggravating this issue, the Colombian government targets those investigating these cases instead of those who perpetrated them. For instance, President Álvaro Uribe stated in a public speech on July 25, 2007 that those who denounce extrajudicial executions are allies of the leftist guerrilla groups whose goal it is to discredit the Armed Forces. 

From October 16^th to the 18^th, the US Office on Colombia, along with the Washington Office on Latin America and the Latin America Working Group, helped coordinate a tour of the Colombian human rights organizations investigating these extrajudicial executions. The tour members met with the offices of various Members of Congress- including Hillary Clinton, Elliot Engel, and Mel Martinez - as well as with representatives from the State Department and Washington-based NGOs.  According to Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director of the Latin America Working Group, both the Congress and the State Department "took the issues quite seriously."  It can be expected that the US Congress will continue a hold on $55.2 million of military funds for Colombia that are already frozen.  

Activist Actions

Threats received by SINALTRAINAL.  The President of the National Union of Food Industry Workers (SINALTRAINAL), Javier Correa, received a written death threat, signed by the Águilas Negras,at his home on September 20.  He received a further threat on September 25, which read, "All orders are followed - communist guerrillas trade unionist façade - Javier Correa, stop your ideological discourse - you must leave the department - if not we will be obliged to carry out the military objective and at Christmas we will hand over the bodies of your families in a mass grave."  In addition, Andrés Damian Flores Rodríguez, the son of José Domingo Florez - a regional leader of SINALTRAINAL - was abducted and beaten by masked men on September 27 in the department of Santander.  Upon orders the men received, they later released him with the message that "Tell your father that we will not rest until we see you all in pieces."  Other members of SINALTRAINAL also received similar threats in February and July 2007.  Read the full alert here.

Take action!  Send appeals to the Vice President, the Minister of Social Protection, and the Attorney General urging them to protect members of SINALTRAINAL, to carry out full investigations, and to work to fully demobilize paramilitary structures.  For more information, click here.

Human rights defender receives email threat.  José Manuel Gómez, a human rights activist with the Comité Permanente por los Derechos Humanos, received an email threat from an army-supported paramilitary group on September 11.  The message stated, "Terrorists like you deserve death, don't think that shielding yourself in an NGO is going to save you guerilla.  We declare you to be a military target and we will be carrying out our threat."  The message was signed by the Águilas Negras.  Read more here.  

Take action!  Click here to send already formatted letters to the President, Vice President, Attorney General, and Ambassador through the Amnesty International website.

Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards.  Colombian Senator Gustavo Petro, of the Polo Democratico, received one of three human rights awards on October 17, 2007.  The 31^st annual ceremony recognized Petro's work in exposing the links between Colombian congressmen, paramilitaries and drug traffickers.  To read more about the ceremony, click here.

U.S. Media Coverage of Colombia

Supreme Court Accuses Uribe of Obstruction.  A Reuters article published on October 10 reports that the Colombian Supreme Court is charging President Álvaro Uribe of obstruction.  José Moncada, a jailed paramilitary leader, alleged that Uribe ordered the killing of another paramilitary boss.  This set off a war of words between the President and the high court - which is currently looking into allegations that Uribe's political allies are involved with paramilitary death squads.  Uribe stated in several radio interviews, and a public letter, that the Court offered Moncada a reduced sentence for testifying that the President ordered the killing in 2003.  Cesar Valencia - the President of the Supreme Court - stated that Uribe was obstructing the investigative work of the court and moreover, was trying to "delegitimize" the judicial institution by speaking so publicly about the issue.  Read the full article here.

Free Trade Agreement.  An October 8 New York Times editorial piece discussed a letter sent by former Democratic leaders during the Clinton administration to current Democrats on Capitol Hill.  The correspondence highlights the benefits of the proposed free trade plans between the United States and Peru, Panama, and Colombia.  The NYT article recommends that only the Colombia agreement should be delayed, citing that the Uribe government has not done enough to "bring to justice the paramilitary thugs" that are responsible for much of the human rights violations in Colombia.  The article suggests that withholding ratification of the agreement can be used as leverage to ensure that the Colombian government does more in the future to promote justice.  To access the full article, click here.  (Note:  Following publication of this article, there was intense reaction by the Colombian Embassy in Washington, DC.  Read the response by the embassy's Press Officer here.)