In einem Schreiben an die EU-Außenbeauftragte Ashton haben Europaabgeordnete aus verschiedenen Fraktionen ihre Beunruhigung über Todesdrohungen gegen Menschenrechtsaktivisten in Kolumbien und ihre Solidarität mit den Betroffenen zum Ausdruck gebracht. Zugleich wird die Außenbehörde der EU aufgefordert, in dieser Angelegenheit aktiv zu werden. Zu den Unterzeichnern des Briefs gehört auch Helmut Scholz.
Brussels, 18th of July 2012
Dear Ms. Ashton, Dear Ms. Van Gool,
We undersigned Members of the European Parliament wish to express our vivid preoccupation concerning the recent new episode of harassment against members of the civil society in Colombia.
In the beginning of the month, thirteen Human Rights Defenders have been threatened with death. This group is composed by members of the Colectivo de Abogados “José Alvear Restrepo” (CCAJAR), Yessica Hoyos and Soraya Gutiérrez, the latter also being Vice-President of FIDH, Diego Martinez, executive secretary of the Permanent Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CPDH), Ivan Cepeda, founder of the National Movement of State Crime Victims (MOVICE), Jeison Paba, Juan Diaz Chamorro, Pedro Geney, members of MOVICE, Franklin Castañeda, president of the Foundation of the Committee in Solidarity with Political Prisoners (FCSPP), José Humberto Torres, member of the FCSPP, Gloria Cuartas, member of Colombianos y Colombianas por la Paz, Aida Quilcué, High Counsellor of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), Lilia Solano, President of the Justice and Life project and Piedad Cordoba, a former senator of Colombia.
They each received an e-mail with a picture of themselves and a message saying they had become military targets1. These threats come at a time when Human Rights Defenders in Colombia are being targeted for their work as well as being stigmatized by declarations made by state officials as high as ministers, the Attorney General’s Office and the President Juan Manuel Santos himself.
1 The email they received read: "13 guerilleros covered up as Human Rights Defenders, 13 military targets. Our armed forces have clear instructions to take care of these bastards who want to take the land away from good citizens in order to give it to guerilleros like themselves. You are now warned and aware that we have uncovered your plans and those of the no less [HP] shitty guerilleros who with the excuse of being Human Rights Defenders try, by the means of all kinds of arbitration, to strip of their lands the real owners in order to give them to a handful of bastards and sons of bitches guerilleros".
As pointed out by the United Nations Special Rapporteur in her report on the situation of
Human Rights Defenders after her visit to Colombia in 2009 as well as by the Inter-
American Commission on Human Rights in its Annual Report 2011, these threats create a
climate of terror among Colombian Human Rights Defenders, which prevents them from
working freely towards the respect for Human Rights.
It is important to note that most of the people targeted by these death threats are actively
engaged in supporting the national movement of victims of State human rights violations.
The death threats they received are therefore a direct attack against the attempts by
victims to get organised to seek remedy from the State.
We ask the European Delegation in Colombia to act immediately in favour of these
Human Rights Defenders in line with the EU guidelines on Human Rights Defenders by
taking proactive demarches and issue statements to support them as well as all Human
Rights Defenders in Colombia. We also ask the Delegation to report on these actions and
on the concrete protective and investigative measures taken by the Colombian authorities
in these cases.
