Liliany Obando in front of judge [Spanish]

Human Rights Day Statement in Solidarity with Liliany Obando and All Colombian Political Prisoners

As people across the world celebrate International Human Rights Day (Dec. 10^th), the International Network in Solidarity with the Colombian Political Prisoners (INSPP) would like to call global attention to the repression and intimidation being carried out against Colombia’s political opposition and its supporters. The Colombian government is waging a campaign to criminalize dissent and critical thinking—a campaign that paves the way for transnational access to Colombia’s resources and that is underwritten with more than $7 billion in the US funded Plan Colombia.

We especially want to call attention at this time to the case of Liliany Obando who is undergoing her trial process at this very moment. Liliany was the first person arrested in what is called the farc-politica[1], a process devoid of any credibility. With one investigation after another being dismissed, we fear that authorities will try to make an example of Liliany to justify an otherwise empty-handed and legally bankrupt process.

REPRESSION IN COLOMBIA-THE GENERAL SITUATION

Colombian President Álvaro Uribe and his US government backers claim that Colombia has no political prisoners and more, that progress is being made to improve human rights. The fact is that Colombia has over 7,200 political prisoners[2]. By demonizing not only the armed insurgency, but also unionists, students, political leaders and anyone who speaks out against policies of war and repression, all those who think critically are criminalized. This is why the INSPP joins with the broad progressive movement in Colombia insisting that freedom for political prisoner s and an exchange of prisoners of war is a crucial initial step toward dialogue for a just peace.

The climate in Colombia is one of more, not less, human rights violations. Last year, forced displacement rose 41%, murders of civilians rose 41% and murders of unionists went up 25%. The false positive scandal (where members of the Colombian military have been exposed for killing civilians and claiming them as insurgent combatants) has forced the government to admit to more than 1,100 such extrajudicial killings. The most recent data raises the toll to over 1,700. Meanwhile, since 1980, there have been 25,000 to 35,000 politically motivated disappearances. Rates have risen dramatically for arbitrary arrests for political activities. Between 1992 and 2002, there were 2,000 provably illegal and arbitrary arrests of Colombians for political reasons. However, between 2002 and 2006, more than 7,500 such arrests took place and the pace continues unabated.

This repression is part of a war aimed at dispossessing indigenous, AfroColombian and farming communities in order to appropriate their land for transnational mining, energy and agribusiness corporations. Uribe’s policy of Democratic Security and the military solution seeks “peace” through repression and genocide. A real, just peace can only come to Colombia through dialogue and peace negotiations. It is a widely held view in Colombia’s popular movement that the road to real peace will begin with freedom for the political prisoners and an exchange of prisoners of war. To support the struggle of the political prisoners is, then, to support an end to this war by way of justice.

THE ARREST AND TRIAL OF LILIANY OBANDO: AN ATTACK ON CRITICAL THINKING IN COLOMBIA AND AROUND THE WORLD

Liliany was arrested the very week she was to release a report on the murders of more than 1,500 members of the Fensuagro union of sustainable farmers and farm workers. From the first day of her detention, she began organizing her fellow political prisoners. She has always insisted that any solidarity for her personally be linked to the struggle for an exchange of prisoners as a step toward a humanitarian accord for a just peace.

Lily was arrested on the basis of emails that were supposedly found in computers allegedly belonging to the late FARC Commandant Raúl Reyes. She is accused of having raised money for the FARC through travels abroad she took on behalf of Fensuagro. The Colombian military claims to have found these computers intact following a bombing raid on the camp where Reyes was killed. They were in the hands of the Colombian police for over a week before being turned over to the international police agency, INTERPOL. INTERPOL came to the conclusion that none of the documents on the computers could be authenticated. Captain Roy Hayden Coy Ortiz, the Police Officer in charge of the initial investigation of the computers, testified in court that they contained no emails, only Word documents, which are easily manipulated.

Liliany’s case is important for two main reasons:

1) Whereas an acquittal would be a final blow to the whole farc-politica, a conviction would revive it and thus open way to broad intimidation based on this fabricated and manipulated evidence;

2) A conviction would provide a spurious link with the guerrillas and strengthen government efforts to destroy the Fensuagro farmers and farm workers union—the largest such union and the most targeted in Colombia.

In recent months, Liliany and her family have been victims of an alarming increase in harassments, including threatening emails and phone calls. These have had an international dimension in that similar emails have been received by members of the INSPP. The internationalization of the farc-politica and the threats associated with it are not only coming from private sources. In a visit to Canada earlier this year, Pres. Uribe accused unionists and solidarity activists visited by Liliany of being cells of the FARC. And in violation of Colombian sovereignty and international law, David Nelson, an Australian Federal Police officer, accompanied by two Colombian law enforcement officers, visited Liliany in prison, lying about who they were and trying to get her to give information about unionists she visited in Australia. She, of course, refused to cooperate.

The International Network in Solidarity with Colombia’s Political Prisoners wants to make clear that we will not be intimidated by these efforts to export the farc-politica.

As we prepare this report, Liliany is trying, for the 8^th time, to get home detention during her trial. This is a right that is commonly given to persons in many circumstances, especially women, who like Liliany, are single mothers and sole providers for their children. (Liliany is the mother of a teenage son and a young daughter.) The right to home detention is frequently provided to those sentenced for all kinds of crimes and is often available for those convicted of crimes against humanity as members of paramilitary death squads—yet Liliany has been denied this right seven times.

We urge people to take action and make a call or send an email in support of this effort. It is best if readers will use their own words, but as an alternative, feel free to cut and paste the following sample email:

I am writing as a member of the international community to demand the right to home detention for Liliany Obando, a political prisoner who is on trial on charges of “Rebellion”. Liliany has been accused on the basis of discredited evidence that should never have been allowed in court. She is a single mother of two, and the sole provider for her family. There is no reason that she should be denied this right. Ultimately, I demand that she be cleared of all charges, that all the political prisoners of Colombia be set free and that a humanitarian exchange of prisoners of war be undertaken as a step toward dialogue to end the armed conflict.

Send your emails (or letters) to:

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mrs. Geneviève des Rivières

Ambassador to Colombia

Carrera 7 #114-33

Piso 14

Bogotá, Colombia

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Mr. Matthew Levin

(Former) Ambassador to Colombia

Carrera 7 #115-33 A.A.53531

Bogotá, Colombia

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jaime Giron Duarte

Colombian Ambassador to Canada

360 Albert Street, Suite 1002

Ottawa, Ontario K1R 7X7

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Álvaro Uribe Vélez

Presidente de la República

Cra. 8 #7-26  
Palacio de Nariño

Bogotá  
Colombia

auribe@presidencia.gov.co

Vice President Francisco Santos Calderon

Vice President of the Republic of Colombia

Cra. 8 No. 7-57

Bogota

Colombia

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Mr. Carlos Franco

Director del Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos y de Derecho Internacional Humanitario (DIH)

Calle 7 No 6 – 54

Bogota D.C

Colombia

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Dr. Fernando Ibarra

Asesor del Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos y de DIH.

Calle 7 No 6 – 54

Bogota D.C

Colombia

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Dr. Mario Germán Iguarán Arana

Fiscal General de la Nación,

Diagonal 22B (Av. Luis Carlos Galán No. 52-01) Bloque C, Piso 4

Bogotá, Colombia

contacto@fiscalía.gov.co, denuncie@fiscalía.gov.co

For those who are interested in Liliany’s case, solidarity with the Colombian political prisoners and the struggle for a humanitarian accord, please contact us at:

The Canadian Campaign in Defence of Liliana Patricia Obando Villota and the Rights of Colombian Workers This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it