To All Living Things
"Eight other inhabitants, including a 13-year-old girl, are "disappeared." |
"...these groups continue to work with the support of the security forces in many areas of the country, often drawing up 'death lists'..." |
"History has shown that as long as human rights violations continue to go unpunished, they will continue to occur." |
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Amnesty Action:
Apparent
Extrajudicial Executions/'Disappearances'/Fear for Safety
by Kathy Gay
ast week VegSource presented its
first Amnesty
International action for
human rights -- on East Timor. I hope you have sent a
letter to the Indonesian authorities to let them know you are
paying attention to what is happening there. If you
haven't done it yet, it is not too late. Please do it
now.
Silence is not always golden. Raise your voice with
others around the world who speak up against human rights
abuses.
This week VegSource presents an action on Colombia, a
country often in the forefront of human rights abuses.
Amnesty International is very concerned about the safety of the inhabitants of Media Luna, a town in Colombia. Last month, sixty members of a paramilitary group attacked the community, killing seven people, one of whom was an 8-year-old child. Eight other inhabitants, including a 13-year-old girl, are "disappeared." Amnesty is concerned that the paramilitary group may attack this community again and try to execute more people.
Specific information about
this action is included in the sample letter which
follows
Background Information
Since 1986 over 20,000 people in Colombia have died in
political violence. The evidence, drawn from thousands of
cases, shows that the security forces and their
paramilitary allies are responsible for most of the
killings.
Despite government pledges to protect 
human
rights and dismantle the paramilitary groups, these
groups continue to work with the support of the security
forces in many areas of the country, often drawing up
"death lists" of those they consider to be
guerrilla sympathizers or collaborators. Peasant farmers,
community leaders, popular activists and human rights workers
are frequently labeled as subversives and frequently
become the victims of serious human rights violations.
Members of the security forces in Colombia, together with
their paramilitary allies, continue to commit serious
abuses with virtual impunity. The Colombian press has
reported that the Governor of Cesar has condemned
paramilitary actions in the department (similar to a
state in the United States) and set up a commission to
confront such activities a month ago. This commission is
made up of members of the security forces, the Office of
the Procurator-General and the Office of the
Attorney-General. However, this latest raid on the people
of Media Luna clearly indicates that the authorities are
failing in their commitment to take effective action
against paramilitary groups.
History has shown that as long as human rights violations
continue to go unpunished, they will continue to occur.
How you can help
This action expired on December 18, 1996,
and the accompanying sample letter with detailed
information about the case has been removed. Thanks to everyone
who sent letters to Colombian authorities on behalf of
the inhabitants of Media Luna.
Questions?
If you have any questions, just post a message to me
(Kathy Gay) on the Pub, and I will respond as soon as I
can. I greatly appreciate your interest and support.
__________________________________________________
Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International for nearly 10 years, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.
Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.