_________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, 28 January 1999

The COLOMBIA SUPPORT NETWORK has just been informed by Redepaz (an NGO

which coordinates organizations of human rights in Colombia) that at 4:20

p.m. hooded and armed men broke into the offices of the Instituto Popular

de Capacitacion (Popular Institute of Training in Medellin), tore out the

telephones, took the computers and kidnapped the following persons :

JAIRO BEDOYA

CLAUDIA TAMAYO

JORGE SALAZAR

OLGA RODAS

The employees are Jairo Bedoya, the director of the IPC; Claudia Tamayo,

planning and development coordinator; Jorge Salazar, human rights

investigator; and Olga Rodas, office manager.

A group of well-armed individuals in Chevrolet Luv pick up trucks blocked

off the IPC offices Five of them -- one woman and four men -- entered the

offices and seized the approximately 25 people gathered there. Although the

armed group identified itself initially as members of a guerrilla-linked

militia, they later said that they were paramilitaries and that they would

"not permit the growth of Communism" in the IPC. In the past, Colombia's

paramilitary groups, which often work with the tacit or open support of

Colombia's military, have accused human rights groups of supporting leftist

insurgents.

Please call or write to the following addresses:

U.S.Ambassador CURTIS KAMMAN

Bogota, Colombia

fax 011 57 1 315 2038

Ms. MADELEINE ALBRIGHT

Washington, DC

fax 1(202) 647 1533

Colombian Ambassador LUIS ALBERTO MORENO

Washington, DC

fax (202) 232 8643

Please fax to :

ANDRES PASTRANA ARANGO

Presidente de la Republica

Kra.8 n.7-26 Santa Fe de Bogota

Tlf: 571/ 284 33 00 Fax: 011 571/ 286 74 34 - 286 79 37 - 284 21 86

Email: pastrana@presidencia.gov.co

NESTOR HUMBERTO MARTINEZ

Ministro del Interior

Kra.8 n.8-09 Santa Fe de Bogota

Tlf: 571/ 334 39 60 - 284 02 14 Fax:011 571/ 341 97 39

RODRIGO LLOREDA

Ministro de la Defensa

Av. del Dorado con Kra.52, Santa Fe de Bogota

Tlf: 571/ 222 41 25 - 222 24 45 Fax: 011 571/ 222 18 74

JAIME BERNAL CUELLAR

Procurador General de la Nacion

Kra 5 n. 15-80 Santa Fe de Bogota

Tlf: 571/ 283 86 09 Fax: 011 571/ 342 97 23

ALFONSO GOMEZ MENDEZ

Fiscal General de la Nacion

Cll.35 n. 4-31 Santa Fe de Bogota

Tlf: 571/ 570 20 00 Fax: 011 571/ 570 20 22

JOSE FERNANDO CASTRO CAICEDO

Defensor del Pueblo

Cll.55 n.10-32 Santa Fe de Bogota

Tlf: 571/ 346 29 47 Fax:011 571/ 346 12 25

General

CARLOS ALBERTO OSPINA

Comandante IV Brigada

Medellin

Fax 011 57 4 260 3735

**************S A M P L E L E T T E R*********

Madison, 28 de enero de 1999

Doctor

ANDRES PASTRANA ARANGO

President of Colombia

Bogota

Excelentisimo Sr. Presidente :

The COLOMBIA SUPPORT NETWORK has just been informed by Redepaz (an

NGO which coordinates organizations of human rights in Colombia) that at

4:20 p.m.hooded and armed men that later identified themselves as

paramilitaries broke into the offices of the Instituto Popular

de Capacitacion (Popular Institute of Training in Medellin), tore out the

telephones, took the computers and kidnapped the following persons :

JORGE SALAZAR RODAS

CLAUDIA TAMAYO

JAIRO BEDOYA

OLGA RODAS

Please take all the necessary steps to protect the lives of these kidnapped

victims immdediately.

We fear for their lives and wish to be assured that they will be returned

promptly safe and unharmed.Also we urge you to pursue those who carried out

this outrageous attack.

Sincerely,

JOHN I. LAUN

President CSN

__________________________________________________________________________

Colombia Support Network

P.O. Box 1505

Madison, WI 53701

(608) 257-8753 fax (608) 255-6621

csn@igc.apc.org http://www.igc.apc.org/csn/