Afro-Colombian News

Statement by the United Nations Independent Expert on minority issues, Ms Gay McDougall, on the conclusion of her official visit to Colombia, 1 to 12 February 2010

http://www.afrocolombians.com/pdfs/independentexpertonminorities-Feb2010.pdf

Statement by the United Nations Independent Expert on Minority Issues, on her visit to Colombia

On February 2010, the United Nations Independent expert on minority issues, Ms. Gay McDougall, visit Colombia, after several years looking for an official invitation by the government.

In a statement issued after her visit, the Independent Expert said that "Colombia has an impressive and commendable legislative framework that recognises many rights of Afro-Colombians (...) However, it is equally clear to me that more must be done to protect vulnerable communities and their leaders who continue to be threatened and killed on a regular basis".

Ms. McDougall stated that that violence, internal displacement and dispossession continued to be biggest problems on Afro-Colombian communities. The independent expert also evidenced the contradictions between economic national and multinational interest and the rights of Afro-Colombian communities. "(...) In the face of such economic interests and megaprojects it appears that the rights of communities are “inconvenient rights” and that the laws put in place to protect them are equally inconvenient", voiced the statement.

Read the complete statement at http://www.afrocolombians.com/pdfs/independentexpertonminorities-Feb2010.pdf

Find more about the independent expert and the UN mandate on her role: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/minorities/expert/index.htm

The Association of Community Councils of the Cauca-Pacific Coast Region denounce human rights violations in their territories

COMUNICADO DE COCOCAUCA ANTE LOS HOMICIDIOS Y AMENAZAS RECIBIDOS

Denunciamos ante la opinión pública nacional e internacional el asesinato de nuestros compañeros de lucha JOSÉ FELIX OREJUELA y MILTÓN GRUESO TORRES durante los días 21 y 22 de enero de 2010 respectivamente (a quienes les amputaron una mano y al otro los dedos), y las amenazas a la Junta directiva del Consejo comunitario de los Manglares del Micay y de la Regional COCOCAUCA, situación que ha originado desplazamientos forzados en la zona. More http://www.afrocolombians.com/pdfs/COCOCAUCAStatement1262010.pdf

AFRODES USA Urge Solidarity with Afro-Colombian Communities and Leaders

With great indignation AFRODES USA denounces the alarming escalation in the violation of the Afro-Colombian fundamental rights in Colombia. We are receiving distressing reports from all corners of Afro-Colombian territories about the genocide and permanent threats to leaders, communities, and their organizational structures. More http://www.afrocolombians.com/pdfs/StatementonGeneralHHRRSituation1-2010.pdf

Four leaders assassinated, and intensive fumigations, exacerbate Afro-Colombian communities' situation

In only two weeks, four Afro-Colombian leaders have been murder, and several have been death threaten. Jose Felx Orejuela and Milton Gueso Torres, from the Community Councils in Lopez de Micay, in the Southern Pacific Coast, were assassinated in January 20th and 22nd respectively. Although the material perpetrator are unknown, the reasons are very clear. The communities and leaders who sustain a strong position in defense of their territorial, economic and environmental rights, and against the imposition of economic policies that negatively impact their ancestral territories, are subjects of permanent attacks and threats. To the violent actions are added the attempts against the communities and persons' integrity with the intensive fumigations of their farm crops, affecting 80 hectares of seeds and food crops. More than 100 Afro-Colombians were forced to flee their lands this week. The Community Councils and organizations from Guapi and Lopez de Micay issued a public statement denouncing those events and reaffirming their decision to continuing protecting the ancestral territories, source and hope for dignifying life. Read the statement in Spanish at http://www.afrocolombians.com/pdfs/Fumigaciones-Comunicadopublico-Gupi.pdf

Also in a letter to the US Ambassador in Colombia, several religious and non-governmental organization urged the Ambassador prompt Colombian government to guarantee the safety and integrity of communities and leaders in El Bajo Atrato,Choco, were on January 13th a leader was assassinated. Read more http://www.afrocolombians.com/pdfs/lettertoUSEmbassador-re-hhrrviolations012010.pdf

Recent Murder of Afro-Colombians in Choco

December 24, 2009

Dear Supporters of Afro-Colombian Rights,

AFRODES USA and the Network in Solidarity with Afro-Colombian Grassroots Organizations in the U.S. (NASGACC) strongly condemns the December 19th assassinations of Afrodescendants Manuel Moya, Graciano Bland�n and his son in the region of Curvarad� and Jiguamiand� (Choc�). We ask that the Colombians authorities immediately investigate this crime and that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

These murders underscore the need for the Colombian government take bolder actions to secure the physical safety of the inhabitants of Curvarad� and Jiguamiand�, fully and effectively dismantle the military, economic and social operational structures of illegal armed groups operating in this area. This development shows that the Colombian authorities have not taken the steps necessary to properly resolve the illegal appropriation of lands by oil palm companies in Curvarad� and Jiguamiand�.

The lack of resolution in this case, lack of physical return of lands to their rightful owners and lack of political will on the part of Colombian authorities to effectively combat paramilitarism in this area has led to conflict among Afro-Colombians, violence and insecurity. This greatly hampers the well being of all Afro-Colombian and mestizo civilians living in the Curvarad� and Jiguamiand� area. The lack of action on the part of the State is enabling criminal activity to continue to expand in area. This activity greatly hampers the advancement and economic development of Afro-Colombians in the region. The persistent impunity in this case weakens the possibility of local and regional institutions possibility to exert their authority in the region.

Effective State action and resolution on all pending criminal and human rights cases involving the inhabitants of Curvarad� and Jiguamiand� including the case of 23 palm oil industrialists would not only improve the security for Afro-Colombians living in the area but it would also lead to a weakening of criminal structures and a strengthening of local state institutions. Effective action would also greatly reduce the existent security threats against members of the Afro- Colombian community councils and the national and international NGOs that accompany these communities namely the Colombian NGO Justicia y Paz and international accompaniers Peace Brigades International and PASC.

Given the above, we ask that you take immediate action by contacting U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield in Colombia and informing him that these developments are a violation of the human rights condition pertaining to the rights of Afro-Colombians that the Secretary of State must implement in order for Colombia to receive U.S. military assistance. Ambassador Brownfield can be reached via email at AmbassadorB@state.gov

In order to rectify this situation and protect the rights of Afro-Colombians, U.S. officials should insist that they ask the Colombian authorities to do as follows:

1) Publicly pronounce themselves against the triple murder committed against Afro-Colombians on December 19th, as well as, the murder of Benjamin Munoz that took place earlier this year.

2) Urge the Attorney General promptly and effectively investigate these murders and bring the perpetrators and intellectual authors of this crime to justice.

3) Put a stop to false accusations in the media that insinuate that the latest murders are in some way related to members of the Colombian NGO Justicia y Paz (Abilio Pena and Danilo Rueda), as well as the spokesperson for MOVICE and ex-columnist Iv�n Cepeda Castro. Such accusations, in addition to being unfounded, greatly endanger the lives of these individuals.

4) Support the self-protection initiatives developed by Afro-Colombians and
mestizos who inhabit the humanitarian and biodiversity zones.

5) Effectively implement the decisions made by judicial and other authorities in the case of Curvarad� and Jiguamiand� including Court Order 222, the sentence of the Chocó tribunal, Incoder resolutions and push forward the case against the 23 oil palm industrialists.

Please be sure to inform AFRODES USA of any responses you receive from the
U.S. Embassy by emailing Marino Cordoba at macobe2001@yahoo.com

For further information on this case, please contact Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli at (202) 489-1702 or Charo Mina Rojas at (434) 760-0663.

Black and Green: Afro-Colombians, Development, and Nature in the Pacific Lowlands

lack and Green is a publication based on Kiran Asher's doctoral thesis in political science, a field she came to by ways of a masters in Environmental Management and much field experience in Costa Rica, Belize, China, and now Colombia. It is her contact with local people that let Asher to want to explore the link between environmental management and society, and her passion for both of these areas of investigation is well displayed in this book.

Read more: http://feministreview.blogspot.com/2009/12/black-and-green-afro-colombians.html

Take Action to Guarantee Safety of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Leaders from Norte del Cauca region

December 6, 2009

Dear Activists,

AFRODES USA and WOLA urge you to contact Colombian authorities immediately and urge them to take action to guarantee the safety of Afro-Colombian, Indigenous and human rights leaders in northern Cauca.

On December 4, Lisifrey Ararat of the Community Council of La Toma and the Black Communities Process (PCN) received a text message that stated:�Hp no decidan por la comunidad que si quieren los recursos, tienen 8 dias pasalir sigue la lista *** fin **. This translates into English as �Motherfucker don�t decide for the community what they want. You have eight days to leave the area. The list remains active.�

The same text message which came from the telephone number 310 8964370 was also sent to Yair Ortiz, Edwar Mina (both leaders from the Community Council of La Toma), Arley Gonzalez (mining leader), Enrique Guetio (traditional indigenous leader from the Cabildo Cerro Tijeras) and Edwar Villegas (member of the human rights group CUT-Valle and Association NOMADESC). This threat follows another threat that was received by the Aguilas Negras-Nueva Generacion paramilitaries to these same groups on October 22nd.

PCN, NOMADESC and others recently participated in a round of visits to the US Congress and an OAS hearing on the right to previous consultation for Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Communities. For details of this visit, got to: http://actualidadetnica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8500:gimena-sanchez-garzoli-&catid=57

Please contact the following offices immediately and urge them to protect the lives of these activists, investigate these threats and prosecute those responsible for making them. Also recommend to these offices that they take bold steps to strengthen the right of previous consultation for these communities. The Colombian authorities� information is as follows:

- Colombian Vice President�s office: Francisco Santos 57-1-560-1195
- Ministry of Interior and Justice: Fabio Valencia Cossio 57-1-444-3100 (Executive Secretary)
- Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Program: Carlos Franco 57-1- 595-1853 o 57-1595-1888.

For further information, please be in touch with Charo Mina Rojas of AFRODES USA at (434) 760-0663.

Complete information in Spanish http://www.afrocolombians.com/pdfs/ACCIONURGENTESUAREZ.pdf

Get Your Representative to Sign a Letter Supporting Human Rights in Colombia

From November 6th through 24th, a letter calling for change in U.S. policy towards Colombia will be circulating through the House of Representatives. This letter has our message, calling for a decrease in U.S. aid for Colombia's military and an increase in support for human rights and humanitarian efforts.

The initiators of this letter—Representatives Jim McGovern, Jan Schakowsky, Donald Payne, and Mike Honda— need 70 representatives to back up the initiative by adding their signatures before it is sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Latin America Working Group -LAWG- has set up a on-line action http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/625/t/8560/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1651
and very easy instructions on how to call your representative to encourage him/her to sign the letter http://www.lawg.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=537&Itemid=77&tag=link2

Check who has signed already and get the text of the letter http://www.lawg.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=539&Itemid=77

Congressional Letters, Statements, and Resolutions on Colombia

http://www.lawg.org/index.php?option=com_advancedtags&view=tag&id=100&Itemid=77