Arbitrary Detention of Leaders from FENSUAGRO
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
THE NATIONAL UNIONIST UNITARIAN FEDERATION OF FARMERS (FENSUAGRO), THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DISPLACED PEOPLE (ANDAS), THE LAWYERS COLLECTIVE (JOSE ALVEAR RESTREPO), THE COMMITTEE FOR THE DEFENSE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS AND THE COMMITTEE FOR THE DEFENSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
We Denounce
That an unjust wave of arbitrary detentions of social, popular and agrarian leaders and of the civilian population, especially affiliates and agrarian leaders from FENSUAGRO, that has been unleashed by the National Public Prosecutor's Office and the Armed Forces.
Facts
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On Sunday, August 17th, 2003, in Sucre department, in Chalán, Colosó and Ovejas municipalities, in operations realized by the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Police and the Marines, 156 people were detained. They included men, women, minors and the elderly, most of whom peasants dedicated to agriculture, although there is also the case of an educator, a town councilor, a doctor, a spokesperson, a policeman and others who are car drivers, merchants and community and union leaders. It is evident that none of these people are "presumably" terrorists or subversives, as the Government and official media like El Tiempo, El Espectador, and the radio networks Caracol and RCN affirm. Furthermore, it is of interest to note that a great number of the detained are active members of the Union of Small of Medium Farmers of Sucre SINDAGRICULTORES, an affiliate of FENSUAGRO-CUT.
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The operative mentioned above took place from 2:30 a.m. to approximately 6:00 a.m., in which the armed forces entered humble homes kicking down doors and terrorizing families, taking away the detained before the fearful eyes of their children, wives, grandparents and other relatives by the intimidation of police agents with their rifles. They violated their intimacy and rights as citizens, seeing that they took them away handcuffed and did not allow them to take any belongings with them. Furthermore, the agents that participated in the operation did not have any search warrant.
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In the actions against the civilian population, the army arrived first cordoning off the area, at the same time that the police broke into homes and after 15 minutes the Office of the Public Prosecutor arrived without any court order.
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Up until now the detained are crowded into the jail Nacional La Vega, of Sincelejo, without having their situation resolved. Yet the situation of their families is even more complex and painful, since they find themselves exposed to the elements in front of the prison, waiting for their loved ones to go free, given that the sustenance of their homes depends upon them. It is important to note that these events "coincide" and take place after a very important visit of verification about the violation of Human Rights in los Montes de María, carried out by the United Nations and the Vice-presidency of the Republic, accompanied by different human rights organizations from the country, in which the inhabitants of these municipalities (some of them detained today) had the bravery to make grave denunciations about arbitrariness and a series of crimes committed by the Marines quartered in that department.
The same situation is going on in other regions of the country:
On August 24th, at dawn, a strong operation was unleashed by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Police in the municipalities of Coeyo, Cajamarca, Anaime, and exactly in the places known as La Línea, el Cañón de Cocora and the city of Ibagué, where 58 people were detained as well, in which are included, AMPARO ARCINIEGAS, General Secretary of the sectional of SINTRAGRITOL in Cajamarca municipality, CARLOS ARTURO ALVIS, parish priest from Anaime municipality, MARCOS RODRIGUEZ, nephew of the candidate for mayor of Anaime by the Democratic Pole, DORELYS JOYA, district attorney for the Committee of Communal Action of Anaime and ANGELA DURAN, social leader of Anaime. The other detainees are merchants and peasants from the region. Likewise those in uniform are desperately asking about the whereabouts of the President of the Union of Agrarian Workers of Tolima, SINTRAAGRITOL, JOSE BURITICA.
Other massive detentions of union and agrarian leaders have developed in regions such as el Meta, where 8 people have been detained in the municipality of Puerto Rico, in Calamar Guaviare, 21 peasants were detained, in Arauca there are more than 15 detainees and in Casanare the situation of 6 detainees from Sacama has not yet been defined. This witchhunt has taken place after the Government of Alvaro Uribe Velez has decided to push more its policy of "Democratic Security" and its ultimatum to the armed forces, in which he demands greater results in the counter-insurgent battle. However, it seems that they have not understood, since the "achievements" they have shown are the detention and imprisonment of humble peasants, social and union leaders. We think that this is not the way to finish terrorism nor will it "pacify" the nation.
Requests
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To the National Government, to institutions of control and to the Office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations to intercede before the Office of the Public Prosecutor and that they demand the due process for all of the detained in the country so that their freedom is granted, since they are not insurgents, and much less terrorists, rather workers, fathers and social leaders.
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Of the media we ask that they do not simply echo the information supplied by the military forces, but also hear the information given by social, agrarian, union and human rights organizations.
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Of the international community we ask to intercede before State organizations, so that the abuses and injustice (that are being committed by way of the policy of "Democratic Security" against peasant, union, social and human rights organizations) cease.