Colombia and the Oil Industry: Disappearance of a Trade Unionist

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS CONCERN
Case COL040302. ESCRC


The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Colombia.

Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source of the disappearance of Mr. Gilberto Torres Martinez, the leader of the Oil Workers Union (USO) and a worker of ECOPETROL,at the Porvenir Pumping Station in Monterey.

According to the information received, on February 25th 2002, at approximately 6 pm, Mr. Torres Martinez left the Porvenir Station and headed for his home in Monterey, only a few kilometres away. It is reported that he stopped by a group of heavily armed men who allegedly belonged to the Centauros Block of the Autodefensas de Colombia (AUC), a well-known paramilitary group active in that area.

Those individuals reportedly forced Mr. Torres Martinez to go with them and subsequently drove him towards the municipality of Puerto Lopez in the Meta department, where it is public knowledge that this paramilitary group has its operational base.

Background Information
The Autodefensas de Colombia (AUC) has been systematically threatening the members of the Oil Workers Union (USO), openly considering them as military targets.

More recently, on December 3rd 2001, the President of the Cartagena branch of the USO, Mr. Aury Sara Marrugo and his bodyguard, Enrique Arellano, were abducted and subsequently killed by the Caribbean Block of the AUC. The AUC Central Command claimed responsibility for this act on its official website.

After the assassination of Mr. Marrugo, the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) of the Organization of American States insisted on security measures for members of the Oil Workers Union, given the clear evidence that a campaign of terror was being conducted against the members of the union. The ICHR thus demanded that the Colombian Governement provide the necessary guarantee to protect the physical and psychological integrity of members of the Oil Workers Union throughout the country.

In spite the recommendation of the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights, the Colombian Government has taken no measures to implement security procedures which would minimize the risk to those under threat.

It is worth pointing out that the area surrounding the Porvenir Station is heavily patrolled by personnel of the Colombian Army. Moreover, next to the Station there is a military base responsible for protecting the central oil pipeline of Llanos SA, a multinational consortium whose affiliates include British Petroleum and ECOPETROL. The soldiers who patrol the pipeline have a number of outlook posts from which they can observe the entire road and detect the entry and exit of any people or vehicle.

Action Requested
Please write to the Colombian authorities urging them to:


i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Gilberto Torres Martinez;

ii. immediately locate his whereabouts;

iii. order an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the above-mentioned case in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and or administrative sanctions as provided by law;

iv. comply immediately with recommendations issued by the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights;

v. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.

vi. guarantee that the activities of oil companies do not negatively impact on the enjoyment of all human rights.


Please write to ECOPETROL and British Petroleum urging them to:


i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical integrity of their workers;

ii. act in accordance with international human rights law.


Addresses

· S. E. Andrés Pastrana Arango, Presidente de la República, Cra. 8 n°.7-26, Palacio de Nariño, Santafé de Bogotá.Fax: (+57 1) 2867434; (+57 1) 2866842; (+57 1) 28421 86 ;

· Consejería Presidencial de Derechos Humanos, Calle 7 n°. 6-54 Piso 3, Santafé de Bogotá, D. C. Fax: (+57 1) 337 13 51 ;

· Doctor Gustavo Bell Lemus, Ministro de la Defensa, Avenida El Dorado con Cra. 52 CAN, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 222 18 74 ; e-mail : siden@mindefensa.gov.co ;

· Doctor Armando Estrada Villa, Ministro del Interior, Cra. 8 n°. 8-09 Santa Fe de Bogotá, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 286 80 25 ; (+57 1) 286 84 05 ; e-mail: minisint@col1.telecom.com.co ;

· Doctor Edgardo José Maya Villazón, Procurador General de la Nación, Carrera 5 n°. 15-80, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax:(+57 1) 284 0472;(+57 1) 342 97 23 ; (+57 1) 282 76 14
e mail : reygon@procuraduria.gov.co ;

· Doctor Luis Camilo Osorio, Fiscal General de la Nación, Diagonal 22 B n°. 52-01, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 570 20 08 ;(+57 1) 570 20 00; e-mail :contacto@fiscalia.gov.co ; denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co; webmaster@fiscalia.gov.co ;

· Doctor Eduardo Cifuentes, Defensor del Pueblo, Defensoría del Pueblo, Calle 55 n°. 10-32 Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+ 57 1) 346 12 25 ;

· General Fernando Tapias Stahelin, Comandante de las Fuerzas Militares, Avenida el Dorado con Cra. 52, Santafé de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 222 29 35 ; e-mail : siden@mindefensa.gov.co; pilaque@cgm.mil.co

· Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos, ECOPETROL
Dirección: Cra 13 No. 36-24 - Bogotá D.C., Colombia. Fax: +57-1 2344099

· British Petroleum p.l.c International Headquarters Britannic House, 1 Finsbury Circus, London EC2M 7BA United Kingdom. Fax: 44 (0)20 7496 4630

· Amoco Colombia Petroleum Company BP Exploration Company (Colombia) Limited, Carrera 9 A No. 99-02, 5th Floor, Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia. Fax: (57 1) 611 1127/618 2316


Please also write to the embassies of Colombia in your respective country.

Geneva, March 4th, 2002

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.