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Death Reigns in Meta

CSN-Madison, April 15, 2003

The National Agrarian Workers United Union - FENSUAGRO - CUT, the "Jose Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective, and the Permanent Committee for The Defense of Human Rights, on behalf of the communities of Alto Ariari - the counties of El Castillo and Lejanias (in the state of Meta) bring the following to light before national and international public opinion:

Background

Starting in the month of May 2002, the month in which the Army's Battalion 21 - Vargas, based in Granada (Meta), began "Operation Conquest", with participation of the Rapid Response Forces "FUDRA" and with the support of the National Police based in Castillo (Meta), a long string of human rights violations have been committed against the peasants who live in the region, including murders, torture, forced disappearances, illegal searches, burnings of houses, robberies of household wares and cattle, and threats ; which has generated the forced displacement of more than 80% percent of the peasants that have traditionally lived in this area of the country. In addition, this operation has opened the way for the entrance of AUC paramilitary groups, from the "Centauros", "Cordoba", and "Uraba" Blocks, who act under cover, meaning that they are the same because they change their identifying armbands, or at other times they are different individuals that work together.

This began during the electoral campaign carried out by the current President of the Republic, Doctor Alvaro Uribe Velez, and once elected, exercising his presidential authority, occurs in the context of the National Government's Democratic Security program, which is carried out by high ranking military officers and administrative authorities, in addition to county and state security bodies.

In light of the human rights violations that have been being committed in a systematic fashion, the authorities have not had a positive attitude, actually, to the contrary, they have taken an intimidating and threatening stance against the victims and the families of those affected by these crimes and barbarous acts. Consequently, they have an attitude of complicity. Not withstanding a few officials officials of those counties, two of whom have been assassinated, the last under the auspices of "Operation Conquest."

In addition, a complacent attitude exists on the part of the Castillo county parish, whose priest, Carlos Ernesto Jaramillo, has offended and mistreated various citizens who were detained, which also makes suggestions to the paramilitaries to treat those deprived of their freedom in an arbitrary and illegal fashion. There is also the Supervisor of Castillo County, Laura Gilman Moreno Urrea, proud recipient of the National Peace Prize given to the AMA - Alto Ariari County Association - in November 2002, which resulted from the work of the communities themselves, who today uses this to her own personal benefit and that of her associates in the county; she also has been complicit in the silence and barbarity that has befallen this region of the country.

Account of Recent Events In Castillo County

The following presents a report of events occurred in recent times, with the disclaimer that information exists which we have not been able to obtain due to the fear that reigns over the region, which prevents people from letting the authorities know of the systematic violation of human rights which the region is suffering.

It is well known by those who have been detained and the families of the victims that the parish priest insults and beats detainees, offends their families, and refuses to have funerals for these cases, and when he does perform this ceremony, he insults the families of the victims and the victims themselves in his funerary remarks. The international community and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church must know of this complacent and complicit attitude that he has towards the paramilitaries and members of government security forces.

In spite of the fact that only a few families still remain in Castillo County, the economic blockade of the zone continues, and public security forces and paramilitaries keep carrying out searches of everyone and have control over everything they buy and bring for their subsistence. No one knows who takes or destroys what they consider is not needed or above the authorized quantity at the roadblocks that are set up throughout the zone.

There is no exact statistic on the number of families exiled from the area, but the best estimate is around 300 families, who have had to flee to different places, in their majority, Bogota and Villavencio. These refugees are completely abandoned and uncared for by the government. Many of these peasants have had their houses ransacked and burned.

We have knowledge that the paramilitaries are beginning to give away unoccupied homes, in complicity with the armed forces, to families that they have brought from other parts of the country.

It is calculated that since the beginning of "Operation Conquest", 4000 cows have been stolen, including all cows, from newborns to full grown bulls, and likewise, horses, hens, ducks and anything else they find on the farms has been robbed, in which case each family will have to somehow prove what they had on their farm.

The paramilitaries pass their days in the urban area of Castillo County, they get around in 4x4 trucks, they spend some of their time at the police and army headquarters; they eat in the "La Fonda Paisa" restaurant, and they stay in the home of Nesar Urrea. Police and members of the Attorney General's office searched said dwelling in December, but at that time the paramilitaries were not there. It seems that they were warned before hand of the search.

Account of Recent Events in Lejanias County

The following are events that occurred in Lejanias County, in the same time period:

The Colombian army has carried out censuses in the urban center of Lejanias, at the same time that they are assembling their "informant network." Restricting in the same fashion the supply of food to the population with the argument that they are "cutting off supplies for the guerillas" and in some cases they even prohibit the exportation of the regions products to other areas.

In light of this critical situation the residents of the Alto Ariari region demand that the Colombian government comply with the National Constitution of 1991 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that the government guarantee the people's right to life, liberty, property, fair trial, protests, freedom of conscience, honor, their goods, etc. and that the international community of nations make the duty to guarantee all human rights effective and investigate human rights violators in whatever country they may be residing.

We also ask that the Colombian government guarantee the continued presence of the communities and peasants on their land, and also that they make the necessary guarantees so that those who are now displaced can return to their lands. In the same way, the Colombian government must guarantee the property and possessions of those exiled, which those paramilitaries now possess.

We also call on the Colombian Bishops Conference to determine the responsibility of the parish priest of Castillo County, and that they proceed on to the demotion of the priest as soon as possible.


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