To All Living Things
Last Week's Column

Amnesty Action:
Possible "Disappearance"/Fear for Safety in Colombia
by Kathy Gay

his week’s action from Amnesty International concerns three young men who were kidnapped from a youth detention center by five armed men about two weeks ago. They have not been seen since their "disappearance" and Amnesty International is very concerned for their safety. Just 11 days before, a similar operation took place against three other minors at the same center. Their bodies were found later, bearing signs of torture.

Background Information

Amnesty International has received an increasing number of reports from Colombia of killings of so-called "social undesirables" (desechables sociales) including street children, vagrants, homosexuals and suspected delinquents. Murder operations directed against these people are routinely termed "social clean-up operations" (operaciones de limpieza social) and are generally attributed to shadowy death squads. However, in a number of cases, evidence has emerged that the so-called death squads were made up of members of the national police, frequently operating with the support of local tradespeople.

Despite repeated pledges from Colombia’s President to protect human rights and prosecute those who commit human rights abuses, members of the Colombian armed and security forces continue to commit serious abuses with virtual impunity.

How you can help

Please send a letter to the President of Colombia as soon as possible, but no later than July 9, 1997. You may use the sample letter linked below or use it as a model to write your own letter. If you choose to use the sample letter, please cut off or delete all website information at the very top of the letter. If you choose to write your own letter, make sure that it is politely worded and non-partisan (i.e., not used as a vehicle for political expression). Care must be taken to ensure that nothing is written that will cause harm to any of the young men who have "disappeared." Be sure to include both your name and address, as well as the date, on your letter.

U.S. airmail postage to Colombia is 60 cents.

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.

To see the sample letter for this action, click here.

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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.