2

SUMMARYu ”Fear and intimidation” in Colombia according to the latest report of

Amnesty International...................................................................................... ... 3

u OHCHR in Colombia ¿towards a revised mandate?.................................................. 3

u Increased harrassment of human rights defenders ................................................ 4

u Third Assembly of the National Victims´ Movement ................................................ 5

u Kankuamos: cultural recovery in the midst of violence ............................................ 6

u Uribe: re-election amidst national controversies .................................................... 8

PEACE BRIGADES INTERNATIONALPBI COLOMBIAu Barrancabermeja: Inter Sectorial Commission for Life in Magdalena Medio ........ 9

u Bogotá: Arauca in the crossfire ........................................................................ 9

u Medellín: Resistance in La Esperanza after a decade of impunity ....................... 10

u Urabá: Gaining ground/Moving Forward; land delimitation in Cacarica .............. 11

INTERNATIONALu The Executive Office in Brussels travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo....... 12

u PBI participates in the evaluation of the EU´s guidelines for human rights defenders.. 12

u Berenice Celeyta takes “Operation Dragon” to Washington ................................ 13

u PBI Guatemala publishes “Metal mining and Human Rights” ............................. 14

PERSONALu Nueva Delhi - New York – Bogotá ....................................................................... 15

u “En Camino (On the Road)”, music from a PBI Colombia volunteer to the world.... 15

Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD) (through PBI Cataluña)Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) (through PBI Spain)Appletree Foundation (through PBI UK)City Council of Palencia (through Sodepaz)Broederlijk DelenCafodCanadian Autoworkers (through PBI Canada)Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) (through PBI Canada)Central Missie Commissariat (CMC)DiakoniaDiakonisches WerkFons Mallorquí

Government of Cantabria (through PBI Spain)Government of Navarra (through Mugarik Gabe)Intermón-OxfamKerkinactieLaw Society (through PBI UK)Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France (through PBI France)Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland (through PBI Switzerland)MisereorPBI GermanyProject Counseling Service (Heks)Rausing Trust (through PBI UK)Civil Service of Peace (through PBI Germany)Trocaire

Peace Brigades International does not assume any responsibility for any declarations issued by third parties in this publications

PBI COLOMBIA FUNDERS

3

Colombia:“fear and intimidation”

HUMAN RIGHTS

n September 7 th AmnestyInternational (AI) published aspecial report about the dangersassociated with Human Rights

n June 18th, Vice-PresidentFrancisco Santos, in Genevafor the first session of the newHuman Rights Council,

society. They have also led the wayin fruitful discussions, resulting in theimplementation of public policiesfavoring the respect, protection andrealization of Human Rights.”1

This declaration came alongsidemany others made by theinternational community (i.e., thedeclaration issued by the President ofthe Human Rights Commission of theEuropean Union2, as well as bymembers of the US Senate3). Thesedeclarations supported those ofLouise Arbour, High Commissioner,about the necessity of renewing theOffice´s full mandate.

OHCHR has worked for the nineyears in Colombia with impartiality,independence, objectivity andtransparency, as outlined in itsmandate. Therefore, PBI isconcerned about the impact that achange in its functions and/or themandate of the Office could haveon the protection of Human Rightsin Colombia (as suggested by theVice President4 after theannouncement of its renewal foranother year). We should questionwhat their observation role of the willbe in the mandate. Based on ourexperience in protection of HumanRights defenders and InternallyDisplaced Persons, PBI considersOHCHR´s role of observer, itsrecommendations, its reports, and itspress releases as essential to itsmandate. Without these tools, theinternational community´s HumanRights accompaniment in Colombiawould be seriously weakened.

1 Public statement by Colombian civil society infavor of the continuity of the Office of the UNHigh Commissioner for Human Rights inColombia, with its full mandate, (includinguniversities, the Church, NGO human rightsplatforms , political parties and trade unions)(Date: July 5 2006).

2 (Date: June 26th 2006)3 Letter from the US Senators Leahy and Dodd to

Louise Arbour (Date: September 08 2006)4 “to see what kind of adjustments need to be

made to the mandate and to give us adequatetime to negotiate it calmly.” Announcement ofthe one-year extension to the mandate of theOffice of the High Commissioner . (Date:September 12 2006).

related work in Colombia entitled “Fearand Intimidation,” in which it definedhuman rights defenders as “essential” tothe el iminat ion of human r ightsviolations. It highlighted the persistentattacks against them, which create anenvironment of terror and dissuade otherdefenders fromcarrying out theirwork. Despite thed e m o b i l i z a t i o nprocess, they say,the threats made byparamilitary groupscontinue, and theauthorities seem tobe by openingi l l e g a linvest igat ions ofdefenders based onfalse or unfoundedcharges, with theaim of stigmatizingthem and impedingtheir work. “Theynot only discreditthem, but also putthem at r isk ofsuffering physicalaggression”. AIconsiders theProgram for theProtection of Human Rights Defendersimplemented by the Ministry of Interioras “not created to have long termeffects.” Additionally, it highlights thecontradiction between public guidelinesthat urge civil servants to support thework of the defenders while thePresident himself repeatedly accuses thedefenders of having links with guerrillagroups.AI´s recommendations are aimed atgaining public recognition of humanrights defenders’ work, impeding theirarbitrary arrests, and fighting againstimpunity. Peace BrigadesInternational Colombia supports theserecommendations and shares AmnestyInternational’s concern for the climateof intimidation in which HumanRights defenders live. It is these verypeople who put their own lives at risk inorder to build a more just Colombiansociety.

OHCHR in Colombia,towards a revised mandate?

stated that “on various occasions, thediplomacy of the (OHCHR) office hasled to unproductive accusations.” Hecontinued, “we receive Rapporteurswho arrive to the country withpreconceived notions that they refuse

to changeeven whenthey haved i r e c texperienceof the reality“. Thesestatements,issued onlythree monthsbefore thedeadline fort h erenovationof theO f f i c e ’ sm a n d a t e ,p r o d u c e dunease andc o n c e r na m o n gColombiansociety.

After a petition from the UnitedNations Human Rights Commissionto the High Commissioner, theOffice was created on November29th 1996 through an agreementbetween the ColombianGovernment and the UN. Since1997 it has implemented more than1300 field missions, over more than1500 days in different regions,departments, municipalities and townsacross Colombia. According to astatement issued by Colombian civilsociety, “The recommendations haveachieved important results: they haveencouraged the Colombian State totake steps to overcome the HumanRights crisis, they have demanded thatarmed groups respect civilians, andthey have encouraged dialoguebetween the international community,the Colombian government, and civil

Dem

onst

ratio

n in

Bog

otá

O O

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4

ACCOMPANIED ORGANIZATIONS

uring 2006, threats against HumanRights defenders increased, takingdifferent forms: information theft1,emails2, monitoring3, arbitrary

Increased harassment

D U

In July, Bogotá hosted the ThirdNational Assembly of Victims of StateCrimes. More than a thousanddelegates, from various regions of

nder the slogan “25 years ofstruggle, no forced disappearanceor impunity”, the Latin-AmericanFederation of Organizations ofRelatives of the Detained-

Disappeared (Fedefam) held their XVIIICongress in July. It took place in Bogotápresence of representatives from differentcountries and organizations such as PBIparticipated. In this meeting, theparticipants chose a new Board ofDirectors. They also evaluated the stateof forced disappearance and impunity inthe region. Fedefam is looking forward tothe celebration of a Convention on ForcedDisappearance, which only needs theapproval of the General Assembly of theUnited Nations (New York, December of2006) and the ratification of twentyMember States. The Fedefam Congresscalled upon the struggle for truth, justiceand recovery of historical memorycontinuing the struggle against impunityinitiated 25 years ago.

PBI with CCAJAR,one of the accompanied organizations

detentions4, forced disappearances andmurder5. The majority of the threats wereclaimed by a group of ex-United SelfDefense Forces of Colombia (AUC) called“Autodefensas Colombia Libre” formed bythe former AUC blocs in Sur Caribe,Llanos, Centro, Capital, Oriente, NuevaGeneración and Pacífico, according to theirmessages. In these email messages, theymake many references to the support theyenjoy from the Armed Forces and PresidentÁlvaro Uribe, a claim that the Governmenthas never denied. The President of theHuman Rights Commission stated: “TheGovernment must publicly recognize thepositive and crucial role that Human Rightsdefenders and non-governmentalorganizations, in general, play in thestrengthening of democracy. Additionallynon-governmental organizationscontribute greatly to the Rule of Law.”6

Through its work with the diplomatic corpsand international institutions, PBIwitnessed the concern for the securityconditions of human rights defendersthrough various public statements.

*The European Unionexpressed, at a press conference, their deepconcern for the “recent intensification ofthe threats and attacks against human

rights organizations and individuals byillegal groups”7.

*The Office of the HighCommissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR) also expressed its concern for“the fact that some civil servants makestatements meant to disqualify the activitiesof the defenders or to minimize the threatsthey receive”.8

*The Interamerican Commission ofHuman Rights (ICHR) called on “the Stateto increase efforts to protect human rightsdefenders (...), to make sure that they havethe guarantees they need to continue withtheir activities in defense of Human Rights(...) through the judicial clarification of thetruth”.9

However, at time of publication, PBI hasnot heard of any concrete progress in theinvestigations carried out by the ColombianGovernment. On the contrary, newthreats10 have appeared, made by the samegroups, detailing dates of when action willbe taken and addresses of severalorganizations. This has increasedinsecurity and fear within the HumanRights movement. The organizations regretthat, despite this climate of harrassment,they could not get a meeting with PresidentUribe.

In this context, PBI appeals to theinternational community to demand

clarification ofthese events intheir meetingswith theC o l o m b i a nGovernment, inorder to holdthose responsibleaccountable, aswell as toguarantee thesecurity ofHuman RightsDefenders.

1 Stealing of laptops from CODHES’s office and from thehouseof a member of the Colectivo de Abogados José AlvearRestrepo CCAJAR (April 26th 2006).

2 Several emails sent by “Colombia forever free of the left”presenting themselves as AUC arrived to the offices ofCCAJAR, ONIC, ILSA, MINGA, CUT, OFP, USO, IPC,Anthoc, and several Universities (Dates: 8th, 17th, 20th, 23rdy 24th of May 2006, 14th of June and 4th of August).

3 Iván Cepeda’s body guard (Mayo 2006)4 To Príncipe Gabriel Gonzales Arango, coordinator of the

Santander Section of the Comité de Solidaridad con los PresosPolíticos (CSPP) (January 4th 2006)

5 On the 21st of March 2006, Yamile Agudelo member ofthe Organización Femenina Popular (OFP) wasdisappeared and her body was found in a dumpster on the22nd of March 2006.

6 Recommendation 300 of the Presidency of the Commissionof Geneva during the 2002-2006 period.

7....Introduction note by the Presidency and the EuropeanUnion Delegation on their concerns for the threats madeagainst human rights defenders (May 23rd 2006).

8 OHCHR in Colombia’s press release (June 8th 2006).9 IACHR’s press release no 21/06 (June 16th 2006).10 CCAJAR’s press release (Date September 18th 2006).

Towards an ethicalcommission

Colombia, participated in the joint effort tofight against impunity. For Iván Cepeda,member of the Manuel Cepeda Foundation,it not only represented an important stepforward on a quantitative level (increasedparticipation from regions such asMagdalena Medio, the Santanders, Sucre andAntioquia) but also on the qualitative level.Increasingly, accusations and claims aremade more clearly and strongly. Theparticipants, besides expressing theirdisagreement with the “Justice and PeaceLaw,” worked on new strategies; among theeight proposals presented at the closure ofthe Assembly, the creation of an EthicalCommission for ten years stands out. It willbe made up of 25 nationally andinternationally recognized people andorganizations, who will keep the memory ofthe victims alive, look for the clarificationof the events, pursue justice for thoseresponsible, as well as reparation for thevictims.

PBI talked to some of them:

FEDEFAM,25 years of struggle

FEDEFAM is a humanitarian and independent ONG integrat-ed by the Associations of Relatives of victims of forced disap-pearance in Latin America.

5

Enrique Petro Her-nández was born 67years ago in Montería,Córdoba. He grew upon a farm inAndalucía near theCurvaradó river, inChocó. There, with hiswife and 9 children, hereared cows, sheep,pigs and chickens andhe cultivated rice,corn, manioc andbananas. Today, heonly has a small parcelof land in the midst ofhuge palm oilplantations. His old

neighbours, 44 families, were not even that lucky. Those who survived had torun away, threatened by paramilitary groups. Together with Justice and Peace,this year some of those neighbours begun to go back to their lands. While thestruggle continues, don Petro has lent them a small parcel where they live.There they face new threats, and hope that some day somebody gives themback what is lawfully theirs. Don Petro traveled by bus to Bogotá in order toparticipate in the III National Assembly of Victims of State Crimes. He toldPBI about his experiences.

“You can’t compensate for the loss of sons and daughters. And I do not wantmore than what is fair”.

-I do not know if you identify yourself with the word victim, some do not,but how would you summarize your experience as a victim of the armed conflictin general and of the Colombian State in particular?

Yes, we are victims. And victims of the State!. They sent armed groups to takeour land! And our people. The paramilitaries killed my son and my brother. Andthe guerrilla killed another son, even though we had been accused of collaboratingwith them. I wouldn´t sell my land so they sent paramilitaries to my home theypainted graffiti on my walls.

-What has the National Assembly of Victims signified? Of all the thingsthat were said, what has meant the most to you?

We were told that we will soon start to recover our land, and that they will startto pay us for damages. I received an estimate of my losses. But I am more worriedabout my neighbors who are having a really hard time spread out all over the place.This Assembly has been exciting because I´ve seen a lot of people denouncingtogether; that means that they´re getting over the fear of talking. And that is good.

-What do the words Truth, Justice and Reparation mean to you?, Do youbelieve that, in your particular case, justice could be served after what you´vebeen through? If it´s possible, how could they make up for everything thatyou´ve lost?

You can’t compensate for the loss of children. And I do not ask for more thanwhat it is fair.

-Where or with whom (institutions, organizations, entities...) have you beenable to lean on and whose help have you lacked?

At the beginning we went to the National Ombudsman and he talked a goodtalk. Then they spoke with the palm oil companies, and their attitude changed.One day some foreign NGO workers came and they put me in contact with Justiceand Peace. They´ve helped me, and given me travel allowances and...hope. Andthe support of foreign NGO workers has been a pleasure for me. I do not feel soalone, they make me feel safer and they have shown me and my people so muchlove.

-Where do you think this process is going? Are you optimistic?I think we are going to recover our land. But it´s a complicated process. And

besides, even if we recover the land, it’s been too damaged by the oil palm. We willhave to turn it over with machines and start all over again. The oil palm isn´t forour lands and we don´t want it.

-With all this experience behind you, what do you see for the future ofColombia?

I don´t see changes, at least not while Álvaro Uribe is President. I think thatthe first time he was elected by paramilitaries. Now they´ve been legalized, andthey supported him again.

-In your opinion, what is the pending Human Rights issue of theGovernment?

They´re finishing off the peasants. The President is only interested in thelandowners. If they kill me they won´t do it to rob me, but instead because I refuseto be robbed again.

-A wish for your grandchildren´s future.I hope that we will work the land as we use to.

Libertad Sánchez is the spokeswoman of the Association forthe Recovery of Historical Memory in Mérida (Spain). Shewas invited to come to the Assembly by Justice and Peace(organization accompanied by PBI) to contrast the experienceof the victims of the Franco regime in Spain and the victims ofthe Colombian armed conflict.

1.- What similarities and differences have you found betweenthe process in your country and in Colombia?Basically, the techniques have been modernized. But there are stillmany similarities. In both regimes, the fight is against the left. AndUribe’s international coverage is very similar to that which Francohad. Of course, that was a “dictatorship”...

2.- The struggle is not easy at all, on the contrary, it can be veryfrustrating sometimes. After decades of this, what do relativeshold on to, to continue this work?We need to have closure. There are more than 20,000 bodies stillmissing in Spain and their families have not been able to bury themor grieve for them.

3.- In your experience, what does it mean to have an Assemblylike this and to adopt measures such as the Ethical Commissionwhich was proposed here?In situations like this, there is little shared information. We don´twant them to repeat our mistakes. We took too long to start collectingtestimonies. There are barely any witnesses left and those left arevery old or very sick. Here you can still do it.

“It´s a bit frustrating that decades later, historyrepeats itself in another part of the world”.

4.- In all the years of your work of your association, what hasbeen the biggest moment of hope?Maybe now. The Senate is debating a possible Law for the Recoveryof Historical Memory that would create working groups aimed atgetting testimonies and searching for graves, as well as for theexhumation, identification and burial ofcorpses. This would be a very important step.

5.- And, on the contrary, the biggestdisappointment?The previous President, José Mª Aznar, saidin Congress that our movement “smells likemothballs”. He said this as he spent millionson bringing home bodies of those killed inRussia during the Franco regime. That wasreally painful.

6.- How do you think that countries sodifferent and in such different historicalmoments could share their experiences?Being able to share provides a kind of shelter.But it´s still a bit frustrating that decades later,history repeats itself in another part of theworld.

7.- Have you felt alone in your struggle?Have you had the support from theinternational community?In Paris, the Council of Europe ParliamentaryAssembly (PAEC) unanimously approved a proposal for aninternational condemnation of the violations committed by theFranco regime. It may not be very applicable, but it does supposerecognition for the victims.

8.- This is your first visit to Colombia. What has most struckyou about this moment Colombians are experiencing and, inparticular, of the work of the National Victims of State CrimesMovement?The image offered by the media outside of Colombia only speaksof the crimes of the guerrilla, but never of the victims of StateCrimes. The pain of the victims is very similar here and there.

Libe

rtad

Sán

chez

Don Petro

6

action to preserve their personal and territorial integrity. Due to the government´s failure to fulfillthis request, in 2004 the Interamerican Court of Human Rights decreed “provisional measures” toguarantee their protection. The José Alvear RestrepoLawyer´s Collective (CCAJAR) has supportedthem along the way. PBI has accompanied CCAJAR in its trips to the territory Kankuamo. RecentlyPBI spoke with Wilmer Daza, a displaced leader, currently living in Bogotá, about the currentsituation of his people and their process of cultural recuperation in the midst of violence.

Communities in resistance

his September, the International Mission for the Verification of theHumanitarian and Human Rights Situation of Indigenous Peoplesof Colombia was took place. It included human rights and civil societyorganizations from Europe, Latin America, United States, and Canada,

he Kankuamo indigenous people inhabit the Sierra Nevada in northern Colombia. Over thecenturies they have suffered various colonizations, but in reecnt years they have beenparticularly hit by the violence of armed groups . In 2003, the Interamerican Commission ofHuman Rights provided them with “ protective measures,” requesting the Government take

Twith observers from United Nations agencies, the Swiss and German Embassies,a delegation of the European Commission and the MAPP-OEA. Travellingthrough Arauca, Córdoba, Sierra Nevada, Cauca and Guaviare, the missionput the constant Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law violationsthat the indigenous peoples of Colombia suffer on the table. There are more

than a million indigenous Colombians, divided into 80 ethnic groups of which at least 18 are at risk of extinction. These peoples, “guardians of theenvironment, with a peaceful way of life” denounce that they are being harassed by all armed actors: military and police officers, guerrillas andparamilitaries (including the supposedly demobilized) and additionally, by transnational corporations who do not request permission of the indigenouspeople to carry out their operations there. Among the 10 recommendations adopted at its conclusion, the Mission urges the Special Rapporteur onHuman Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples to conduct a follow-up visit, demanding that the Colombian State answer towhat they consider an “intensification of the humanitarian crisis of the indigenous communities in Colombia”.

International Mission for Verification

KANKUAMOS: recovery in the midst of the violence

- What is the current situation for theKankuamos?

The presence of armed groups –army,paramilitary and guerrilla – and their disputefor the territory has provoked deaths,disappearances and displacements. Thanks tothe protective and provisional measures of theIACHR, public order was somehow restored,but the Army continues to violate our rights.

- How long have you been in thissituation?

The displacement begun in 1998 with thefirst armed incursion of the AUC, even thoughpreviously the guerrilla had already displacedsome people. The situation worsened in 2002,when the AUC directly retaliated against thepopulation. From 7000 inhabitants in 1998,we were reduced to 3000 in 2004. That meansthat more than 50 % of the people have beendisplaced. Some of them have returned, butthey are subjected to all sorts of situations.

- How has it been possible to return?Thanks to the work of social organizations

and international support. The ruling of theIACHR helped visiblize our situation and thatof other Sierra Nevada communities.

-As a community leader you denouncedHuman Rights and InternationalHumanitarian Law violations by the armedactors, what has that role meant for you?

When Víctor Hugo Maestre was killed Ihad the responsibility of denouncing theArmy. We issued a press release and we

T

Wilmer Daza

thought that we hadsent it to the President,but it was received byColonel Figueroa fromthe Popa Battalion whoanswered “Every day athousand press releaseslike this are sent to thepresident, and I have athousand answers”.Then he said we werecovering up for theguerrilla. This is whenwe began to really beafraid of the ArmedForces. Then I suffered an attack. One nighta group of armed men dressed in civilianclothes came looking for me at home.Fortunately, some neighbors showed up, andthey left. One month later, a member of theAUC came up to me and said that I had totake care of myself, because if I gave themthe chance, they would kill me. I denouncedall of this to the Armed Forces and the generalpublic. After the follow up mission of theIACHR, they ordered a risk evaluation for me.A week later, I was arrested along withfourteen other people. In the hearings, wewere supported by the Collective and thepresence of PBI. The Judge ruled in ourfavor. The same day they released me,December 15th, 2005, a paramilitary prisonertold me that I could not go back to theterritory, that he himself had received ordersto kill me, but that now I had won his respect.This is why I had to come to Bogotá.

- Today you walk the streets of Bogotáselling the traditional bags of your people,and you continue to work for your community.Like you, many Kankuamos have had toabandon their land. What does that mean foryou?

For a Kankuamo, to leave his land meansthe end of his life. We have had to becomemerchants, but we don´t know how to live here.

Being a displaced per-son means practicallyforgetting your ances-tors´ customs. It alsomeans discrimination.The displaced are seenas “delinquents”.

- But you have theadvantage of beingorganized?

We work not onlyfor survival here, butalso to strengthen ourterritory through ouractions. We look aftereach other like a

Kankuamo family.

- The struggle for the recuperation of yourculture, repressed for more than 200 years,has gone hand in hand with your struggle foryour land, including the recognition of theprotected territories (which was achieved in2003), as well as an enlargement of its area.What has been your experience of thisprocess?

We came from a colonization process.Western culture has been inculcated into ourcommunities. The Church told us thatbelieving in Kakaserankua (the God of theKankuamo) was equivalent to believing in thedevil. We had to speak our language in secret.The Kankuamo youth have even refused tospeak our language and to dress in ourclothing. However, in 1982 the Sierra NevadaFolklore Festival was founded and it began aprocess of cultural recovery.

7

n August 30th it was the 19º anniversary of the death of Nydia Erika Bautista–disappeared in military custody in 1987-. On this particular date, her sonEric Bautista, member of the movement ‘Sons and Daughters for Memoryand Against Impunity’ wanted to share his testimony with PBI.

The recent reopened cases, such as the LawCourts case, or the discovery of thecommunal graves, are these not theseexamples of the Government´s will tosearch for the truth?The remains of my mother were found in agraveyard for unrecognized bodies, ofpeople they bury without having fullyidentified them, but no action was taken toidentify the other bodies that were found

there. The identification process doesn´tmean justice for the victims.

Regarding the Law Courts,there have not been any realresults yet. There are onlysigns, no real progresstowards reparation ofvictims. The truth has been

written in different books.We saw her leaving the Law

Courts alive. The truth hasbeen hidden. Maybe she is in theashes of the Law Courts burnt tothe ground by the military. Maybe

she is in that final sentence made by amemorable President of the Supreme Courtof Justice Dr. Reyes Echandia: “thePresident must order the cease fire”.

“We have made a commitment to life”

The Victims of State Crimes Movement hasrecently been the target of threats. So hasanother member of “Sons and Daughters”and Iván Cepeda, accompanied by PBI,who just commemorated this month the 12ºanniversary of the murder of his father,Senator Manuel Cepeda. How is thesecurity/insecurity of “Sons andDaughters?”It´s the same as that of thousands ofColombians who, as the teacher of allteachers, Sr. Eduardo Umaña Luna used tosay “any man who works for socio-politicalchange in this country is condemned todeath”. We have been called many thingsby the intellectual and material authors ofcrimes against humanity, such as Mr. RitoAlejo del Río, but that does not mean thatwe accept their slanderous allegationsagainst us.

he Minister of Agriculture,Andrés Felipe Arias, hasannounced the return of morethan 25.000 hectares illegally

1 Report 72, Jiguamiandó-Curvaradó,Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz,July 21st 2006

2 Report 75, Jiguamiandó-Curvaradó,Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz,September 22nd 2006

Human Rights Violationsfor Economic Reasons

TContinued pressure through

oil palm plantations

occupied by oil palm companies inChocó. These lands between theJiguamiandó and Curbaradó rivers,will be returned to their originalowners. The lands weremisappropriated from the community,according to the Defensoría, throughthreats and forced displacements,among other tactics. Thisannouncement has provoked a certaindistrust amongst some oil palmcompaniesfrom the region who accuseinternational NGO workers and CIJPof creating unemployment, misery andthe return of violence to the area1 byencouraging such an action. Some ofthe rightful owners, such as EnriquePetro, have already received directthreats by paramilitaries in which theyalert: “in this moment it is not possibleto touch Don ENRIQUE PETRObecause he is always with the gringosand with accompaniment, but it´swhat hurts him more that we´ll touch:his children, his family”2.(Seeinterview) This is only one exampleof what continues to occur in manyparts of the country. Particularly inindigenous and afro-Colombiancommunities, citizens are harassedand displaced to make room for theimplementation of agro-industrialprojects.

PBI volunteer with J&P in an oil palmplantation

Impunity

“Impunity has hurt from the first moment untilthis last breath”

ONext year it will be two decades since yourmother´s disappearance. What keeps yougoing in the struggle?The struggle against impunity has been astruggle throughout history. My family hasonly lived through 20 years of it. It is notonly about punishing those who are guiltybut also about studying the historical causesand consequences of their crimes. Societymust re-evaluate how to deal with thesecrimes that deeply undermine humandignity. My family and I havelived uprooting, exile, lack ofcompassion, and theloneliness of exile. Thissad situation has made usstronger and taught us thatlife is worth living whenyou find ways to transformrepression, exclusion andthe miserable conditions inwhich millions of human beingslive. We have made acommitment to life, and this iswhy we continue to confront the powerstructures that let criminals enjoy benefitsand forget the victims.The passing of the years only confirms thatwhat we live is a consquence of what ourancestors lived, what the indigenous peoplelived, the peasants, the students, all of thosewho have raised their voices againstoppression. This is why we must use ourunited strengths to stop this happening.

Years have passed since the death of yourrelatives, but you continue to work tobring to light the truth of these cases.Does impunity hurt more with the passingof time?Impunity has hurt from the first momentuntil this last breath. It hurts to know thatafter so much time denouncing andpursuing justice, the labyrinth becomesmore complex and has more and more falsedoors. We see how they continue todisappear people everyday, and there are noeffective mechanisms to prevent it. It hurtsjust the same as the day they took herbecause she is not here anymore.

Eric Bautista

8

CURRENT EVENTS

n August, Álvaro Uribe took oathas President after being re-electedin the last general election. The re-election was only possible after the

The victims have the right to interveneand be informed during the entirelegal process. In addition to thosedirectly affected, their families willalso be considered victims.It was not accepted thatparamilitarism be considered a crimeof sedition, meaning a political crime.

This ruling caused a new crisis andErnesto Báez –political leader of theAUC- publicly expressed that thesentence meant a “mortal blow” to theprocess. So the Government transferredseveral paramilitary bosses to a vacationcenter in Antioquia, while they work thedrafts of decrees that will fine tune theruling of the Court; those that, asdescribed by El Tiempo newspaper,“were not liked by the paramilitaries”.The decree published in September “doesnot revive, as in the draft, the politicalnature of the crime. It speaks of full andtruthful confessions and demands that thebloc answers on behalf of thedemobilized individual whenthe assets of the latter are notenough. The front men willbe forgiven” (El Tiempo,September 30th 2006). It isimportant to note that theLaw will only affect 2.695demobilized individualsregistered by theGovernment, exemptingmore than 28.000 from anyjudicial process. The countryclosely followed the debates,public speeches, editorialsand opinion columns. Themain issues: impunity for theperpetrators of crimes againsthumanity and the inclusion of drugtraffickers (requested by the US forextradition) on the lists of paramilitarieswho the law will benefit, as is the case ofJuan Carlos Sierra or Víctor ManuelMejía. Meanwhile, new self-identifiedparamilitary groups –who havemaintained the names of supposedlydemobilized groups – have been sendingthreats to organizations and individualsactive in the social movement (ie, theVictims´ Movement, union leaders, and

the Externado University of Bogotá).There are still many open questions. ElTiempo, in September 7th editorial,summarized the situation by warning that“the lack of clarity that has surroundedthe demobilization process makes oneworry that there will be little justice, littletruth and little reparation”. We will see.

Armed Forces affected?

These past few months, newspapers havecarried headlines of several scandalsinvolving members of the Armed Forces,the Attorney General, and theAdministrative Department of Security(DAS). As an example, the Law Courtscase has been reopened, implicatingmembers of the Armed Forces (21 yearslater), thanks to a video taken at the time.The video shows one of the 11disappeared, the manager of the cafeteria,Carlos Rodríguez, as he was taken out ofthe building by a member of the Army.What happened to him and his ten

coworkers has never been clarified. Butthis is not the only case. 14 members ofthe military were arrested in a case of thetorture committed against 21 soldiers ina training camp in Tolima; on the otherhand, alleged montages of attacks by theArmy were made public and theGovernment’s response was that theywere implementing intelligence activities;and it was even discussed a fake ArmyGAULA rescue (Anti-kidnap Group) thatcaused the death of six people.

Re-election in the midst of national controversy

I

Demobilization of aparamilitary group(Photo Surimages)

Palace of Justice in Bogotá

ad hoc modification of the Constitutionof 1991, impelled by the Presidenthimself. According to members of theLiberal Party, a major reform whichwould create a balance and separation ofpowers is necessary.

Lack of clarity in theparamilitary demobilizationprocess

This reelection took place in the contextof negotiations with paramilitary groups.In July, the Constitutional Courtpublished the final text of “Law 975” of2005, called “Justice and Peace Law”,declaring that is is possible for the law tobe executed but demanding somemodifications before it is valid:

Time served by demobilizedparamilitaries in Santa Fe de Ralito(Córdoba) does not count as part ofthe sentence that they will receive.Paramilitaries that utilize the Lawmust confess to the totality of theircrimes or otherwise lose the benefitsof the Law.The reparation of the victims will becarried out by means of the return ofboth illicit assets and assets obtainedlegally.

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Looking for selfdefense measures

PBI accompanied the Luis CarlosPérez Lawyer’s Collective(CALCP) inthe Catatumbo region on the occasionof the General Assembly of theAssociation of the Motilón BariIndigenous People (ASOCBARI), inJuly. The Collective works for theprotection of their rights and providestraining to the community leaders –more than twenty- representing a totalof 419 families. The abundance ofnatural resources in the area (oil, coal,emeralds, uranium, and greatbiodiversity) has attracted the interestof multinational companies. Thesemultinationals have come to the regionaccompanied by military andparamilitary groups, wreaking physicaland verbal violence in the communities.

Militarization in the Sur deBolívar region

In August, the municipality ofSanta Rosa was the scene of a pre-trialof the Permanent Court of thePeople (TPP), in which the state ofthe mining industry in the regionwas analyzed. According to theorganizations present, thetransnational KEDHADA hasobtained permits for the extractionof gold in the area. To safeguard itsactivities, military and paramilitarygroups provide accompaniment, notonly in the highlands, but also in theurban areas of San Pablo, SantaRosa and Simití. PBI, who attended

PEACE BRIGADES INTERNATIONAL

the event as international observers,accompanying the Popular FeministOrganization (OFP), listened to thetestimonies of the miners as theydenounced the mistreatment to whichthey are subjected. These includeembargos, torture and murder of some ofthe mining leaders. Alejandro Uribe,union leader of Fedeagromisbol(Federación Agrominera del Sur deBolívar), was murdered on September19th by members of the Fifth Brigade ofthe National Army. This murder wasrecognized by their commander, JoséJoaquín Cortés. Alejandro´s death waspublicly regretted by the MesaInternacional de Complementariedad delMagdalena Medio in which PBIparticipates as international observer.

March for Dignity in San OnofrePBI accompanied Iván Cepeda on his

visit to San Onofre, in the department ofSucre. The Colombian journalist, founderof the Fundación Manuel Cepeda, wentto the area representing the National

Victims of State Crimes Movement.On August 26th, he participated in amarch for Truth, Justice and Reparationorganized by the victims ofparamilitarism in the area.

Magdalena MedioIntersectorial Commission forLife

As observers at the MesaInternacional de Complementariedaddel Magdalena Medio, PBI attended themeeting of the Comisión Intersectorialpor la Vida, summoned by the membersof the Forum for Human RightsWorkers (ETTDDHH), which tookplace in the city of Barrancabermeja inSeptember. In addition to the localcivilian and military authorities, Vice-President Francisco Santos and thedirector of the Presidential Program ofHR and IHL-Carlos Franco- as well asdelegates from the Ministry of Interior,the Attorney General´s office, theOffice of the Attorney General, theNational Ombudsman, the AEO,United Nations, European Union and

several Embassies and internationalorganizations such as Christian Aid,Diakonia Sweden, CIVIS, SolidarityNetwork all participated. Theprincipal agreement reached was thecreation of a permanent mechanismthat brings together all of the local,regional and international sectors to“revise the Human Rights situationand agree on common workingstrategies”. The governmentcommitted to participate on aquarterly basis.

As international observers, PBIattended the anniversary of the deathof three social leaders, murdered twoyears ago in Caño Seco, Arauca. Inaddition to family and neighbors,accompanied NGOs like MINGA orCCAJAR attended thecommemoration. These organizationswere also accompanied to this area inSeptember, when they held workshopsregarding human rights violations. PBI

met with the XVIII Brigade, the PastoralSocial and the National Ombudsman inthe capital of Arauca to discuss thesituation of local human rights defenders.The conflict in the region is particularlycomplicated, given that there are not onlyarmed confrontations between the Stateand illegal armed groups, but there is alsoconflict taking place between the FARC(Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias deColombia) and the ELN (Ejército deLiberación Nacional) guerrilla groups.The civil population has suffered fromthe militarization in the area and houses

and schools are frequently occupied byarmed forces. There are many threats,murders and arbitrary detentions ofHuman Rights defenders, social andpopular leaders, as well as forceddisplacement of peasants. This isdiscussed in the Joel SierraFoundation‘s Report “ARAUCA: from2004 to the 1st Semester of 2006”,presented on September 28th, in theyreview in detail the ‘principal warstrategies declared against the peopleof Arauca’. Oil continues to be adangerous attraction for the region.

Iván Cepeda with a PBI volunteer in San Onofre.

PBI BARRANCABERMEJA

PBI BOGOTÁArauca: in the crossfire.

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PEACE BRIGADES INTERNATIONAL

Military mistake?

On April 10th 2004, five peoplewere massacred by members of thearmed forces, including a six-month oldbaby, in the rural town of Potosí,municipality of Cajamarca (Tolima). Inthe days following the massacre,President Álvaro Uribe called it amilitary mistake. The Bogotá team hasaccompanied CCAJAR in the legalprocedures and public hearings in thisemblematic case, in which one of thesoldiers confessed to having executedone of the victims illegaly. Thisadmission, according to CCAJAR,“reaffirms that the events in Cajamarcawere not a military error during amilitary operation, but that the militaryunit planned this execution”.

Forced disappearancein Ciudad Bolívar

In the last few months, PBI Bogotáhas accompanied the Asociación deFamiliares de Detenidos-Desaparecidos

(ASFADDES) and the Fundación Comitéde Solidaridad con los Presos Políticos(FCSPP) in several activities related tothe disappearance of the social leaderLuis Antonio Arismendi, president of theSindimanuela Beltrán trade union. OnApril 28th, Arismendi (55) and BelquisDayana Goyenech (22) were disappearedin Ciudad Bolívar, in southern Bogotá.The day before,Arismendi had reportedto the local policesuspicious activityaround his place of work.The police did not reactto this report. Thefollowing day, a policeoperation was carried outin the area, incollaboration with thesesame “suspicious men”.Soon after, two bodieswere found in Zipacón,a couple of hours outsideof Ciudad Bolívar,whose were identified as those ofArismendi y Goyeneche. In a statementissued on May 15th, and signed by several

NGOs accompanied by PBI(ASFADDES, FCSPP, CCAJAR andOFP, amongst others) it was stated that“similar events have been carried outby the Armed Forces and paramilitarygroups against the population ofCiudad Bolívar and its socialorganizations, adding to the murdersand disappearances happened in the

area”. In a June 5th

press release, OHCHRColombia, condemnedthis crime stating their“concern for theserious human rightscrisis that theinhabitants of the areaface” and urged therelevant authorities topunish thoseresponsible. PBIa c c o m p a n i e dASFADDES andFCSPP in the AttorneyGeneral’s office, at the

exhumation in Zipacón on August 9th,and at the commemorative mass onSeptember 1st.

In the rural town of La Esperanzathe debate on August 20th centeredaround 17 people, whose memoryis still alive. The goal was toencourage remembrance and not toforget, after a decade of impunity.The event was organized tocommemorate the anniversary of themassacre that took the lives ofalmost twenty people ten years ago.

PBI Colombia accompaniedCJL, the ASFADDES and theFundación CSPP in the emotionalevent that took place in El Carmendel Viboral, in Eastern Antioquia.Iván Cepeda and Father JavierGiraldo other people accompaniedby PBI were also present. A march,a religious ceremony, theatre, music,dance, poetry and a gravestone thatsaid: “RESISTANCE IN LA

Exhumation in Zipacón

PBI BOGOTÁ

“How do you speak to adisappeared person: with so manyfeelings bursting to get out”(R.Blades)

PBI MEDELLÍN Graveston

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e in La EsperanzaESPERANZA AFTER ADECADE OFIMPUNITY”; thosewho are absent werepresent again: sixteendisappeared and onemurdered.

Victims in Medellínfighting forremembrance

Organizations forvictims of state crimesparticipated in the “VConference pro Humanrights and againstImpunity,” which tookplace in Medellínbetween Sept. 4th and9th, with the aim ofencouraging inicitativesto fight againstimpuntiy and demandthat the governmentrespect human rights.The meeting wasorganized by theColectivo de Derechos

March against impunity in Medellin

PBI URABÁ

Gaining ground

The PBI team in Urabá has been ac-companying the Comunidad de Autode-terminación Vida y Dignidad (CAVIDA)in the process of delimitation and visibi-lization of their land. This process hasbeen carried out by members of the hu-manitarian zones of Nuevo Espacio andNueva Vida, between the Darién high-lands and the Atrato River. This fencedarea, where they grow manioc, corn, ba-nana and rice, has been their home since2000, where they returned after 3 yearsof forced displacement. For security rea-sons, they decided to settle together tem-porarily until they could recover eachfamily´s land. Even though this has yetto be achieved, this delimitation signifiesa first step in protecting their lands, muchdesired because of their biodiversity (oneof the richest in the world) and their geo-strategic importance (proximity to Pana-ma- the objective of infrastructure

projects such as the Panamerican high-way, an inter-oceanic channel and anelectricity transmission network). Thebiodiversity of the area has allowed forthe delimitation process to be carried outwithin the framework of environmentalprotection and international agreementssuch as the Kyoto Protocol and the Ram-sar Convention on Conservation and Wet-

lands Use. However, these humanitari-an zones comprise part of a collectiveterritory recognized by Law 70 (1993)regarding rights of afro-Colombian com-munities and, they are also beneficiar-ies of protective measures through theInteramerican Commission on HumanRights.

PBI volunteer in the humanitarian zone of Cacarica

Humanos Semillas de Libertad(Codehsel), a working group inwhich Peace Brigades Internationalparticipates as an internationalobserver, and which includes severallocal NGOs (some of them alsoaccompanied by PBI). They exposedthe effects of the “DemocraticSecurity” policy developed by thegovernment, as well as theirimplications for civil society.

They highlighted the inclusion ofcitizens in intelligence networks, themanipulation of the media, Amongother examples, and, as previouslymentioned by CJL in their pressreleases, and also byOHCHR in Colombia intheir annual report, theydenounced the extra-judicial executionscommitted by soldiers ofthe IV Brigade in EasternAntioquia, wherepeasants have beenmurdered and laterdressed as guerrillas.

Fabiola Lalinde, representativeof the Antioquian office of theAsociación de Familiares deDetenidos y Desaparecidos(Asfaddes), highlighted the ironythat it took the Government onlythree days to identify the remainsof the paramilitary chief CarlosCastaño, but it took them more thaneight years to find the body of herson who was murdered by theArmy, and another four years toperform the DNA analysis. Theevent ended with a march of morethan 400 persons against “impunityand for remembrance of thedisappeared that gathered.

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PEACE BRIGADES INTERNATIONAL

PBI INTERNATIONAL

In July, the BEO (PBI’s European Office) gave a seminarin Kinshasa (DRC) for human rights defendersin the Great Lakes region of Central Africa(DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and CongoBrazzaville). It focused on developing strategiesand procedures for protection. The event createda space for defenders, state authorities, andinternational organizations to share informationand to network. High-ranking representativesof the European Union, United Nations (Officeof the High Commissioner for Human Rights inDRC and the MONUC), the African Commissionof Human Rights and the Rights of the Peoples,as well as around thirty human rights defendersfrom different countries, attended the event.

PBI IN AFRICAPBI´s EUROPEAN OFFICE

u Laura Clarke, former coordinator of PBI Colombia, is PBI´snew International Coordinator. She has considerableexperience with Peace Brigades International, since she hasworked with PBI UK and was a volunteer in the PBIColombia´s Medellin team.

u PBI is preparing for the launch of its new web page, forwhich it formed a special working group. The new websitewill facilitate navegation and standardize the websites foreach project within the organization.

u The international fundraising conference took place inSeptember in London. Representatives from the fiveprojects, numerous country groups, the European Office andthe International Office came together with the objective ofimproving coordination and collaboration amongst all theparties.

PBI meeting in London

View of Kinshasa

PBI country groupscontinue to celebrate PBI´s25th year anniversary,celebrating its work indefense of human rightsworkers. To receiveddetailed information,please contact the nationalsections at www.peacebrigades.org

PBI COUNTRY GROUPS

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In its report “Metal mining andHuman Rights in Guatemala”, theproject presents the experiences ofseveral initiatives (many of themaccompanied by PBI), such as that ofthe Indigenous Mayor of Solalá, theMadre Selva Collective and theAsociación de Amigos del LagoIzabal. These entities defend therights of indigenous communities byparticipating in the decision makingprocess around mining exploration,which has a serious effect on theirliving conditions, contaminate their

erenice Celeyta, president of NOMADESC andwinner of the Memorial Robert F. Kennedy(RFK) award, visited Washington D.C. inSeptember to, amongst other things, update the

OTHER PROJECTSwater supplies, destroy their land and,furthermore, violate internationalagreements.

u Indonesia:PBI was invited to present its work at

the conference of the IndonesianEvangelical Church (Gereja Kemah InjilIndonesia, GKII), held once every 5years. In addition to traditionalaccompaniment, the PBI Indonesia teamoffers participative peace educationworkshops and hosts cultural events andexchanges for local human rightsdefenders. The situation in Aceh,Jayapura and Wamena, the rural areaswhere PBI has presence, are more stablethan in previous months.

u México:The Mexico Project concluded its

three-year strategic plan, integrating therecommendations in the 2004 externalevaluation. As an integral part of their

strategy, the project has developed awider concept of internationalaccompaniment, similarly to otherprojects in Colombia, Guatemala andIndonesia. This will includeobservation and monitoring with thegoal of enhancing the reach and theefficiency of PBI’s work in Mexico.The project has recently experienceda tense period because of thepresidential elections.

u Nepal:While the Maoist guerrilla and the

political parties are starting to cometogether, civil society – as in Colombia– continues to debate issues such asimpunity, justice and reconciliationafter the ceasefire. In contrast with therelatively calm situation in Katmandu,in their exploratory trips to the westand fareast of the country, PBI hasobserved that the security situation isprecarious, even though the situationthere is supposedly in a “post conflict”phase.

PBI Representative in the US

BCeleyta in Washington

information pertaining to “Operation Dragon”, a plan ofassassinations of social, political, union and human rightsdefenders which was internationally recognized in 2004.The RFK Memorial, WOLA (Washington Office on LatinAmerica) and PBI accompanied Ms. Celeyta in hermeetings with several congressmen, senators, NGOs andinternational agencies. In these meetings, she asked themto urge the Colombian government and the AttorneyGeneral’s office to investigate and punish the materialand intellectual actors responsible for the operation toensure that the case will not end in impunity.An important step forward in the support of human rightsdefenders is reflected in the press release of the Directorof the RFK: “Human Rights defenders in Colombia areaccused of being terrorists and are submitted tonumerous death threats. The authors of these threatsenjoy complete impunity while the Government makesfalse accusations against the defenders and illegallyarrests them.”

Celeyta and her son with Senator Alexander Lópezand the Congressman Sam Farr.

u Guatemala:

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1 http://www.protectionline.org/IMG/pdf/EU_conclusions_guidelines_HRD_120606.pdf2 http: //register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/es/04/st10/st10056-re01.es04.pdf#search=%2210056%2F1%2F04%223 (E/CN.4/2006/95/Add.5).4 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/web10056re01.es04.pdf

PBI´s European RepresentativeThe EU honors Human Rights DefendersPBI participated in the evaluation of the European Union Guidelines for Human Rights Defenders

O

Event about Colombia at theHuman Rigths Council.

n June 12th, the EuropeanUnion Council approved newconclusions regarding theirGuidelines for Human Rights

Defenders, in which they condemnedthe assassinations of human rightsdefenders and called on States toassure their protection1. Theconclusions were accompanied by anevaluation of the guideline´simplementation two years after theirapproval by the EU Council in Juneof 20042.

Evaluation of GuidelinesApplication

After a petition from the Austrianpresidency, PBI and otherinternational organizations that workfor the protection of human rightsdefenders participated in theevaluation of implementation of theguidelines. The invitation wasextended to Embassies andChancellors of the MemberStates in order to examine itsprogress. The evaluation takesinto consideration therecommendations presented bythe Special Representative of theSecretary General for HumanRights Defenders in one of herlast reports.3

In their conclusion, the EUCouncil recognizes the“enormous potential of theguidelines to highlight theefficiency of the EUperformance in support of thedefenders” but it indicates that“it is still hard to evaluate if theyhave made a significantdifference” and it makes a callfor the creation of a “centralmonitoring system of the EUefforts to carry out a more

extensive evaluation of therepercussions of this EU action”.

Likewise, the evaluationrecognizes that one of the mainobstacles for the full implementationof the guidelines is the lack ofknowledge of the defendersthemselves as well as of manyEmbassies and EU officials. Thedocument draws together a list of 64recommendations directed atChancellors, missions andEmbassies in the field, the EUWorking Party on Human Rights(Cohom) and the Europeanpresidencies, in which they highlightthe necessity of increasing thepromotion of the guidelines, ofadopting more proactive oranticipative attitudes by theEmbassies in the field, of openingdialogue more institutionalizedchannels between the community oflocal defenders and the Embassiesand EU field missions and of being

more open to financing HumanRights defenders.

A useful tool

The guidelines4 are a part of theprocess of intensification of the EUHuman Rights policy in externalrelations and aim to provide practicalsuggestions to improve the EU actionwith regard to defenders and,concretely, to promote and stimulatethe respect of the right to defendHuman Rights.

These guidelines have their originin the UN declaration on the Rightand Duty of Individuals, Groups andInstitutions to Promote and ProtectHuman Rights and the UniversallyRecognized Liberties of 1998. TheEU has another set of guidelinespreviously approved on the deathpenalty, torture and other inhuman,cruel and degrading treatments;about Human Rights dialogue withthird countries and on children andarmed conflicts. 3

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PERSONAL

¿What has it meant for you to work for PBIin Medellin?I am uncomfortable with the fact that, justbecause I have a US passport, I can provideprotection to Colombians at risk. It´s quiteabsurd, but we use this privilege in order to helpothers. I have often had to remind myself thatmy efforts here are focused on protecting thedefender´s working space without interferingin their resistance work. It´s been hard to livein such a difficult context, where the victoriesare so few and the daily. losses I wanted tosupport them more, but what I have done isenough because I know that it´s important tothe defenders. “I have learnt the “power andpowerlessness” of diplomacy”

What has been the best and the worst partsof this experience?

The best has been to wake up everyday inone of the most beautiful countries of the worldculturally: the people, the energy..., Colombiahas something. Every opportunity that I havehad to meet Colombian people has been alearning process. The worst, paradoxically, hasbeen to have to live sometimes with “white”paradigms more based on logic and reason thanon heart and conviction.

If you had to summarize what you havelearnt, what would you highlight?

I have learnt about the “power andpowerlessness” of diplomacy: meetings,political work, reports...slow things that havevalue but create moments of “existential” crisis.Because the purposefulness is lost in such adifficult context. The defenders have to face aharsh reality where the truth does not evenappear to exist.

You were born in India, another countrywith social and human rights issues. Whatsimilarities and differences do you findbetween the problems in both countries?

An accompanied person asked me oncewhere I was from. (This is a hard identityquestion: Am I American? Indian? Bothanswers are not complete.) I told him “India”and he looked at me and said “What poverty!”.His answer hit me hard because, for me, Indiais more than poverty. When people ask meabout the US, I do say “poverty” because thepeople are indeed “poorer”. We have to changeour way of understanding spiritual and materialpoverty. They also say, that in India women areundervalued, but in Colombia, they also sufferdiscrimination. And here, they have criticizedthe Indian social movement, saying that theColombian people struggle more. But what theUntouchables have achieved in the last 50 yearshas not been achieved here by the Afro-Americans through their civil rights movement.I am not saying that India doesn´t haveproblems, on the contrary, but we cannot see itthrough a western filter. Many countries are notinterested in presenting India as a politicalpower, they prefer to focus on the poverty.

What makes an Indian, resident in NewYork, leave everything to come here to dothis work? How did you get here?

The Indian neighborhood in New York isnow shared with a lot of Colombians. Thecloseness and the idea came from there. I hadalready come to Colombia but I wanted to comeback to do something more...I don´t know,useful. This is how I got to PBI.

What is known of Colombia in two countriesas different as the US and India?

In India, almost nothing, and it´sunderstandable because Colombia and its

policies have very little to do with Asia. In theUS, you hear the stereotypes: drugs, Escobar,violence... I almost prefer the innocentignorance of Indians to that of Americans,where it´s more the result of a campaign ofmisinformation that serves political andeconomic interests.

Could you highlight a moment that has hadan impact in you particularly?

When I was at the San José community andthey took me to taste the cacao fruit. When Isaid that I had never tasted it, they stopped whatthey were doing and took me and it wasspectacular: their love, their stories. It meantso much to me that trip. It´s something I can´teasily forget. “The most important thing is tobe on the side of truth”

In your opinion, what state is Colombia inand what do you foresee in its political andsocial future?

I don´t have much hope, and that´s whathas affected me most in this work. It´sdiscouraging. But we continue because wehave to continue. The most important thing isto be on the side of truth, and that has helpedme through my difficult moments in Colombia.

“Colombia has... somethig”abo Arora is of Indian origin and has lived in New York for several years.There, he fell in love with García Márquez’s novels and made the decisionto come to Colombia. He has worked with PBI in Medellín and is nowleaving Colombia to continue his studies.G

Gabo Arora

David Troup, an ex-volunteer from New Zealand who workedin Barrancabermeja and Urabá- known as “Flakito” byhis mates-has published a CD with 13 original and Latin American songs.His originals are based on his experiences as a volunteer inColombia and in his idea of the “road.” (This summer he walked“the Santiago Trail” promoting the initiatives Colombian peacecommunities). The disc, entitled “En Camino(On the Road),”was recorded in Londonwith the participation ofmusicians from Mexico,France, England andNorthern Ireland. Itincludes songs dedicated topeople accompanied byPBI, such as “Anita” and“Tribute to Cacarica”. . CD En Camino

On July 30th, Christine Oram,fundraiser for PBI Colombia, ranin Bogotá´s VII InternationalHalf Marathon . With thesupport of her family andfriend’s contributions anddonations, she raised money forPBI. Christine, an athletics fansince she was a girl, ran the 10kilometers, along with other40,000 runners, in a little less

then an hour. This is the first time that a member of PBI hasfundraised through a race such as this. Besides taking homea medal, Christine also took home a wonderful experience:“It´s been exciting to share this effort with such a wide rangeof people, and to be able to support the work of PBI”.

Christine Oram

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