Colombia
11.05.00
Urgent Interventions
Colombia: assassination
URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
COL 003 / 0005 / OBS 037
Assassination
COLOMBIA
11th May 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your urgent intervention in view of the following situation in Colombia.
Brief description of the situation
The Observatory has been informed by various organizations, among them the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers' Association, the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners and the Association of Families of the Disappeared, of the assassination on May 3rd 2000 in the municipality of Segovia (Antioquia) of Sr. Jesus Ramiro Zapata Hoyos, human rights defender in the Antioquian North East, coordinator of the Human Rights Committee of Segovia and president of the Semillas de Libertad (seeds of liberty) association.
According to information received, on May 3rd 2000, at approximately 8.30 pm, in the municipality of Segovia, Jesús Ramiro Zapata Hoyos was seized by various armed men. Several hours later his family received a phone call requesting them to collect his corpse from a place in the country, on the outskirts of Segovia. Some two weeks previous to this, members of a paramilitary group recently arrived in the municipality of Segovia persistently looking for him.
The reports recall that since 1996 Sr. Zapata Hoyos had been the target of numerous persecutions, threats and accusations on the part of the military authorities as a result of his activities. In particular military intelligence reports accused him, among other things, of "carrying out human rights activities" and of belonging to the ELN. This situation of overt persecution forced him to leave the municipality of Segovia and to settle in the city of Medellin. In this context, in July 1996, Sr. Zapata Hoyos was temporarily and arbitrarily detained and in 1997 he was the object of various penal investigations and constant harassment on the part of the Regional prosecutors for alleged crimes of rebellion.
This situation led the Interamerican Human Rights Commission on February 11th 1998 to request the Colombian government to grant protection to Sr. Zapata Hoyos.
These events are to be seen within the context of a strategy of persecution and a process of extermination pursued against human rights defenders in Antioquia. The activities of the paramilitary in Segovia are supported by the security forces of both the military and the police.
The Observatory reiterates its grave concern for the situation of violence and impunity which prevails in Colombia and its serious repercussions, in particular for human rights defenders in that country, as seen from the events described above. The Observatory recalls that Colombia has the obligation, by virtue of the Constitution, national laws and the various universal and regional instruments, to protect and guarantee the life and safety of every person.
Action requested
Please write to the Colombian authorities urging them to:
i. Carry out a full and impartial investigation into the death of Jesus Ramiro Zapata Hoyos, in order to identify those responsible, including the presumed participation by action or the failure to act of the military, police or other authorities, bring those responsible to justice and impose upon them the penal, civil, and/or administrative sanctions provided by law.
ii. ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the UN on December 9th 1998, particularly with respect to the right of every person "individually and in association with others to promote and strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental liberties at the national and international levels."(Art. 1) as well as the duty of the State to guarantee "...the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration (Art. 12.2).
iii. effectively guarantee the performance of the legitimate defence of human rights in accordance with the provisions of the Presidential Directive of September 9th 1999.
iv. act in conformity with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Pacts and Conventions ratified by Colombia.
Addresses
S.E. Doctor Andrés Pastrana Arango, Presidente de la República de Colombia, Palacio de Nariño, carrera 8 No. 7-26, Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia. Fax : 571 2867434 or 284 2186 or 289 3377 E-mail : pastrana@presidencia.gov.co
Doctor Alfonso Gómez Méndez, Fiscal General de la Nacion, Fiscalia General de la Nación,
Diagonal 22B 5201,Apartado Aéreo 29855, Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia. Fax: (571) 320 37 83 or 570 2022 E-mail : fiscal@colonsat.net.co
Doctor Luis Fernando Ramírez Acuña, Ministro de Defensa, Ministerio de Defensa Nacional, Avenida El Dorado con Carrera 52 CAN, Santafé de Bogotá, CAN, Colombia . Fax: (571) 222 18 74 E-mail: infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co
General Fernando Tapias Stahelin, Comandante de las Fuerzas Militares, Avenida el Dorado con Cra. 52, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (571) 222 29 35 E-mail: pilaque@cgm.mil.co
Dra. Gina Magnolia Riaño Barón, Ministra de Trabajo y Seguridad Social, Fax (+57 1) 285 70 91
Geneva - Paris, 11th May 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a joint FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency line
New coordinates :
Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92 Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT + 41
22 809 49 39 E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
COL 003 / 0005 / OBS 037
Assassination
COLOMBIA
11th May 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your urgent intervention in view of the following situation in Colombia.
Brief description of the situation
The Observatory has been informed by various organizations, among them the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers' Association, the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners and the Association of Families of the Disappeared, of the assassination on May 3rd 2000 in the municipality of Segovia (Antioquia) of Sr. Jesus Ramiro Zapata Hoyos, human rights defender in the Antioquian North East, coordinator of the Human Rights Committee of Segovia and president of the Semillas de Libertad (seeds of liberty) association.
According to information received, on May 3rd 2000, at approximately 8.30 pm, in the municipality of Segovia, Jesús Ramiro Zapata Hoyos was seized by various armed men. Several hours later his family received a phone call requesting them to collect his corpse from a place in the country, on the outskirts of Segovia. Some two weeks previous to this, members of a paramilitary group recently arrived in the municipality of Segovia persistently looking for him.
The reports recall that since 1996 Sr. Zapata Hoyos had been the target of numerous persecutions, threats and accusations on the part of the military authorities as a result of his activities. In particular military intelligence reports accused him, among other things, of "carrying out human rights activities" and of belonging to the ELN. This situation of overt persecution forced him to leave the municipality of Segovia and to settle in the city of Medellin. In this context, in July 1996, Sr. Zapata Hoyos was temporarily and arbitrarily detained and in 1997 he was the object of various penal investigations and constant harassment on the part of the Regional prosecutors for alleged crimes of rebellion.
This situation led the Interamerican Human Rights Commission on February 11th 1998 to request the Colombian government to grant protection to Sr. Zapata Hoyos.
These events are to be seen within the context of a strategy of persecution and a process of extermination pursued against human rights defenders in Antioquia. The activities of the paramilitary in Segovia are supported by the security forces of both the military and the police.
The Observatory reiterates its grave concern for the situation of violence and impunity which prevails in Colombia and its serious repercussions, in particular for human rights defenders in that country, as seen from the events described above. The Observatory recalls that Colombia has the obligation, by virtue of the Constitution, national laws and the various universal and regional instruments, to protect and guarantee the life and safety of every person.
Action requested
Please write to the Colombian authorities urging them to:
i. Carry out a full and impartial investigation into the death of Jesus Ramiro Zapata Hoyos, in order to identify those responsible, including the presumed participation by action or the failure to act of the military, police or other authorities, bring those responsible to justice and impose upon them the penal, civil, and/or administrative sanctions provided by law.
ii. ensure the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the UN on December 9th 1998, particularly with respect to the right of every person "individually and in association with others to promote and strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental liberties at the national and international levels."(Art. 1) as well as the duty of the State to guarantee "...the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration (Art. 12.2).
iii. effectively guarantee the performance of the legitimate defence of human rights in accordance with the provisions of the Presidential Directive of September 9th 1999.
iv. act in conformity with the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Pacts and Conventions ratified by Colombia.
Addresses
S.E. Doctor Andrés Pastrana Arango, Presidente de la República de Colombia, Palacio de Nariño, carrera 8 No. 7-26, Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia. Fax : 571 2867434 or 284 2186 or 289 3377 E-mail : pastrana@presidencia.gov.co
Doctor Alfonso Gómez Méndez, Fiscal General de la Nacion, Fiscalia General de la Nación,
Diagonal 22B 5201,Apartado Aéreo 29855, Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia. Fax: (571) 320 37 83 or 570 2022 E-mail : fiscal@colonsat.net.co
Doctor Luis Fernando Ramírez Acuña, Ministro de Defensa, Ministerio de Defensa Nacional, Avenida El Dorado con Carrera 52 CAN, Santafé de Bogotá, CAN, Colombia . Fax: (571) 222 18 74 E-mail: infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co
General Fernando Tapias Stahelin, Comandante de las Fuerzas Militares, Avenida el Dorado con Cra. 52, Santa Fe de Bogotá. Fax: (571) 222 29 35 E-mail: pilaque@cgm.mil.co
Dra. Gina Magnolia Riaño Barón, Ministra de Trabajo y Seguridad Social, Fax (+57 1) 285 70 91
Geneva - Paris, 11th May 2000
Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a joint FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency line
New coordinates :
Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92 Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT + 41
22 809 49 39 E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch