Please read the monthly Urgent Action Network Newsletter posted 
on the web at: http://www.amnesty-USA.org/urgact/newslett.html 

Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
PO Box 1270
Nederland CO 80466-1270
Email: sharriso@aiusa.org
http://www.amnesty-usa.org/urgact/
Phone: 303 440 0913
Fax:303 258 7881
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2 October 1998

UA 261/98  Possible 'Disappearance' / Fear for Safety

COLOMBIA
Roberto ANTONIO (possible 'disappearance)
His family (fear for safety)

Other members of the forcibly displaced community of La Balsita,
municipality of Dabeiba, Antioquia Department


Amnesty International is seriously concerned for the safety of Roberto
Antonio who has not been seen since he was reportedly forcibly
abducted in the municipality of Dabeiba, department of Antioquia, on
29 September 1998.  His 'disappearance', together with a continued
paramilitary presence in the area, also raises concerns for the safety
of others living in the municipality.

Roberto Antonio's abduction, at the hands of gunmen thought to be
members of a paramilitary group, took place despite a recently
increased and heavy military presence in the area as a result of an
incursion earlier in the week by the armed opposition group: Fuerzas
Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, (FARC), Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia.  Roberto Antonio was reportedly taken
from his home, in the Hector Cardenas district of Dabeiba, severely
beaten, tied up and then forced onto a motorcycle.  Members of the
same group responsible later returned, firing shots at his home and
demanding to know the whereabouts of his wife.

Roberto Antonio and his family are displaced members of the
community of La Balsita, in the municipality of Dabeiba, who were
forced from their homes during joint paramilitary/armed force
operations in the area in 1997.

Members of the security forces and their paramilitary allies frequently
accuse those forcibly displaced of being guerrilla collaborators or
sympathizers, accusations which are often followed by serious
human rights violations.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Members of the Colombian army and security forces and their
paramilitary allies continue to commit serious human rights violations
with virtual impunity. Over the past five years, several thousand
civilians have been killed by paramilitary groups throughout the
country.  Despite the Colombian Government's suspension of the
legal base for the formation of paramilitary organizations and, in
1989,  directives to the armed forces to combat and disband such
groups, they continue to operate with the support of the security
forces in many areas of the country. No effective steps have, as yet,
been taken by the authorities to control their actions or to hold
members accountable for serious and widespread human rights
violations.  In addition, President Andres Pastrana, who took office on
8 August this year, have failed to take effective steps to tackle the
country's long running human rights crisis.

According to the Attorney General, more than 200 outstanding arrest
warrants, issued to alleged paramilitary members responsible for
human rights violations, have still not been acted upon by the security
forces.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
telegrams/telexes/faxes/express/airmail letters:
- expressing concern at the 'disappearance' of Roberto Antonio on 29
September 1998, reportedly by members of a paramilitary
organization, and expressing concern for the safety of his wife, family
and other forcibly displaced people of La Balsita in the municipality of
Dabeiba;
- calling for a full and impartial investigation into the 'disappearance'
of Roberto Antonio, that the results be made public, and that those
responsible be brought to justice;
- urging that all measures, deemed appropriate by the displaced
communities in the municipality of Dabeiba themselves, are taken to
guarantee their safety;
- calling for a full and impartial investigation into links between the
security forces and paramilitary groups operating in the area and
urging that those found responsible for supporting and participating in
such groups be brought to justice;
- urging that the authorities take immediate action to dismantle
paramilitary groups, in line with stated government commitments;
- reminding Colombia's new government of the country's commitment
to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in particular Article 3:
'Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.'

APPEALS TO:
President of Colombia:
Senor Presidente Andres Pastrana
Presidente de la Republica
Palacio de Narino, carrera 8 No. 7-26
Santafe de Bogota, Colombia

Dear President Pastrana:

Telegrams: President Pastrana, Bogota, Colombia
Telexes: 396 44281 PALP CO
Faxes:    011 57 1 284 2186/289 3377/286 7434/


Attorney General:
Dr. Alfonso Gomez Mendez
Fiscal General de la Nacion
Fiscalia General de la Nacion
Diagonal 22B 5201
Apartheid Aereo 29855
Santafe de Bogota, Colombia

Dear Dr.:

Telegrams: Fiscal General, Fiscalia General, Bogota, Colombia
Faxes:    011 571 570 2017


Minister of Defense:
Dr. Rodrigo Lloreda
Ministro de Defensa Nacional
Ministerio de Defensa Nacional
Avenida Eldorado CAN - Carrera 52
Santafe de Bogota, Colombia

Dear Minister:

Telegrams: Ministro de Defensa, Bogota, Colombia
Telexes: 396 42411 INPRE CO; 396 44561 CFAC CO
Faxes: 011 57 1 222 1874


COPIES TO:
Intercongregational Commission for Justice and Peace
Comision Intercongregacional de Justicia y Paz
AA 31861
Santafe de Bogota, Colombia


Ambassador Juan Carlos Esguerra
Embassy of Colombia
2118 Leroy Pl. NW
Washington DC 20008

Please send appeals immediately. Check with the Colorado office
between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm, Mountain Time, weekdays only, if
sending appeals after October 31, 1998.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the
International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals
after 31 October 1998.

'Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person'
Article 3, Universal Declaration of Human Rights