UN refugee agency concerned about Colombia threats

[Judi Lynn]

UN refugee agency concerned about Colombia threats
By Associated Press
Friday, May 22, 2009 - Added 43m ago

GENEVA — The U.N. refugee agency against says it is concerned about a wave of death threats against human rights workers and social activists in Colombia.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says an armed group has distributed pamphlets around the country threatening to kill government officials and activists.

UNHCR spokesman Andrew Purvis declined Friday to name the group for security reasons.

The agency says targets of the threats include Colombia’s national office charged with overseeing human rights abuses in the country.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/international/americas/view/2009_05_22_UN_refugee_agency_concerned_about_Colombia_threats/

[Judi Lynn]

1. Colombia: End Threats to Unionists, Rights Workers

Colombia: End Threats to Unionists, Rights Workers
March 5, 2009

(Washington, DC) - A group of eight labor and human rights organizations called on the Colombian government today to respect the work of trade unionists and human rights defenders in Colombia and to retract statements that put these workers at risk.

"We seek this action in light of the recent death threat to a lawyer at a prominent human rights organization and the government's repeated statements stigmatizing human rights defenders and union members," the groups said in a statement.

Lina Paola Malagón, an attorney at a human rights organization, the Colombian Commission of Jurists (CCJ), received a death threat signed by the Black Eagles - Capital Bloc on March 2, 2009, citing her work for her organization and on behalf of trade unionists.

Human rights defenders and trade unionists are frequently the targets of threats and violence in Colombia. The problem has been aggravated by the fact that senior government officials continuously stigmatize the work of human rights defenders and unions.

More:
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/03/05/colombia-end-threats-unionists-rights-workers

One has to wonder about people who are happy to ignore the tyranny of a country with this history of mind-boggling atrocities, massacres, torture and murder of entire villages going back decades, and the 2nd largest displaced population on earth, second only to Sudan. One really could doubt both their intelligence and moral values.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Death threats against UNHCR partners in Colombia

Death threats against UNHCR partners in Colombia
Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Date: 22 May 2009


The UNHCR Office in Colombia is deeply concerned about a recent wave of death threats against human right workers and social activists, including displaced leaders working to defend their communities' rights.

In the most recent wave of intimidation, pamphlets signed by one of Colombia's new illegal armed groups were distributed last week around the country, including in the Atlantic Coast region and in Bogotá.

The pamphlets issued threats against several state bodies as well as civil and human rights organizations. They particularly targeted the national Ombudsman Office for a series of early warnings the office has issued alerting people to the critical human rights situation in the same areas.

The Ombudsman Office is the National agency in charge of overseeing the protection of Civil and Human Rights within the legal framework of the state. It is one of UNHCR's closest partners in Colombia. Its Early Warning System provides a unique mechanism for prevention of rights abuses and of forced displacement. UNHCR reiterates its support to the Ombudsman and its staff at this difficult time.

Last week's threats come amid a climate of rising intimidation, originating from various armed groups, in recent months. Indigenous communities, social leaders and representatives of displaced people have all been targeted, putting at risk their rights to life, freedom of expression and participation in public life.

In some cases, the victims of threats have been forced to leave their communities in order to save their lives. In other cases, the threats end in death. Often, the survivors, including families and colleagues, refrain from denouncing the murders for fear of reprisals.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/JBRN-7SAFNS?OpenDocument