Bogotá: Back In

The sleeping city girl is awakening

After an approximately ten hour bus ride with the AC on full blast that successfully managed to overpower any attempt my body made to comfortably and warmly sleep, my teammate Janice and I arrived at the bus station in Bogotá around 8:00am. We got on a taxi straight to the place that I will now be calling my new home. I unloaded my backpacks full of everything I own including dirty clothes, books, hand-made lamp, pictures, letters, and sandals.

Now, I sit here in front of a monitor in the office/apartment, in la capital de Colombia where approximately 12,000 NGO’s are registered and where over 600,000 displaced people have settled in after fleeing conditions of violence in their native home. I have a grim on my face and my eyes are holding back tears caused by the nostalgia that I am trying hard to ignore. I spent almost six months in the community and did not anticipate how much a rural setting can change your senses and your thresholds. I am feeling a mix of emotions having just arrived into a new space where I will spend the second half of my contract with FOR. More so, there is combination of sadness and feelings of attachments my mind and heart have to slowly let go of while attempting to successfully transfer into a new mode of operation. Mostly because I left a place that is so different from Bogotá and my mind is having a hard time letting go of the smells, the voices, the animal sounds and those faces that stayed in the Peace Community. And I decide to feed my emotions even more by playing a CD that has a few recordings that a young girl from the Peace Community made for me as my “good-bye” present, or as she liked to put it, “Para que no se olvide de mi, tenga esto como mi regalo de despedida” (so you won’t forget me, here is a present). Track 1 is has Chayanne’s most cheesy song and Track 2 is Enrique Iglesias on the background and her 17 year old voice perfectly out of tune overpowering the melody of the Spanish artist. I listened to it, holding back my laughter as I imagine her dancing and holding a fake microphone pretending she is on national T.V. singing to a large audience. The best part of the CD is the second to last track where she decided to improvise and sing about me living in La Unión and how I had to leave but that we will always remember each other. It was so cute and funny that I honestly don’t understand how I can feel so much joy and sadness at the same time.

Cold walls and privacy
I also started rearranging the room that was recently Camila’s(FOR teammate) and Juju’s (her baby boy) nest for the past few months. It felt strange to actually have so much space available for my body and few belongings. It seemed too empty so I did the usual move-in routine and placed some pictures on the wall, decided that a plant would keep me company and burned some sage and incense to fill the space between the walls with a familiar aroma. Not to having AJ’s room next to me and not being able to hear every single sound that penetrated the wooden walls back in La Union felt awkwardly silent. I was going to be able to get a sense of privacy again…and that felt sort of strange combined with a sharp dash of loneliness.

I was putting my clothes away thinking about the fact that they will soon lose the moldy smell they picked up in el campo. After staring at the closet, I realized that my faded jeans, stained green yoga pants, and worn out FOR shirts were not going to cut it for the kind of engagements I would be taking part in. I could no longer get away with wearing any pair of torn up blue jeans, the faded drawstring peach colored pants that go back to two or three past FOR volunteers, or my ripped-between-the-crotch brown cargo shorts that go way back to South Africa. The realization that I had few clothes made me automatically think about urban life and consumerism. All of a sudden I am living in a big city and have the necessity to go shopping. I now need to look presentable and somewhat formal-at least for the formal meetings at the U.S. embassy or with representatives of the Vice-President’s office on Human Rights. Right???? Norms…and norms… and the battle of having the autonomy to represent yourself as best identifies your perception on life vs. the obligation of having to express those qualities that gain you respect in a world that judges by superficial measures.

Whether I want to purchase new garments or not, I do need to get a hold of a thick sweatshirt or long sleeve warm shirts if I plan to keep my bones warm. Bogotá is actually colder than what I remember it being back when I was here in November and my body is certainly having a hard time adjusting after living in Urabá’s humidity where I was sweating every other day. The weather in Bogotá sort of reminds me of Santa Cruz with the cloudy days and the cool wind that all of a sudden changes into a clear sky with a sunny afternoon. However, it is not so much of a cold breeze from the ocean and is more like the coldness trapped in a museum with an incredible mountain view.

Although the window in the living room in our apartment sometimes gets some warm rays of sun, it is not enough to warm up the wooden floors and space around my desk. It makes me miss the back porch in La Unión where I often times laid on the hammock and enjoyed the view of the big white puffy clouds that reflected sunlight across the green hills. There were some amazing days when I would also catch a rainbow in the sky or two, and it would all of a sudden rain while the sun was burning hot. I wonder if I will still be called La Negrita (the dark skinned one) from FOR when I go back to visit the community. While I adjust to the lack of heat, I will continue spending the days in the office typing away with cold fingers and sipping on hot tea and coffee. I will once again fall asleep listening to the wailing police sirens echoing a large city, that like the piano and Beethoven’s "Quasi una fantasia", they are inseparable from the realm where they can express themselves deceivingly effortlessly.

A voice from Promisión

“We already lost everything”

Looking Back: In 1997 and 1998, 38 families were forced to leave the vereda (settlement) of Promisión, which is a three to four hour walk from the municipality of Angelópolis in the southeast part of Antioquia Province. These families share an experience with the millions of Colombians who have been forced to displace due to the violence carried out by illegal armed groups across the country. In this case, the armed entities are said to have been paramilitaries, who were systematically causing fear in the population, depopulating the region and gaining control of what was believed to have been guerrilla territory. The civilian population faced death threats and were ordered to evacuate their homes with no hope of ever returning. Without any form of protection from the State or any means to safely demand their right to live in peace, the 38 families painfully left behind their property and the majority of their belongings. What had been their home for years - the place they had invested so much work in order to have profitable coffee trees, sugarcane crops, and fish tanks – suddenly was snatched from them.
The families faced much hardship after they fled. They had to start from scratch and did not have any resources or government support to facilitate the process of finding new homes and lives. They describe finding a place to settle with their bare minimum belongings as a living nightmare. The majority of the families displaced to Medellin, Colombia’s second-largest city and a three-hour bus-ride away. Those who had relatives in other places were forced to seek support with their families whose living situations were also limited in space and resources. Those who settled in Medellin found themselves living in barrios populares (shantytowns) where they faced other forms of violence and risks associated with poverty, as well as high levels of desperation due to unsafe and dangerous conditions. After being displaced and misplaced, suffering became inevitable. Those families with small children explain the awful ordeal of coping with illness, especially given that the adults were unemployed and there was no way to make ends meet or to obtain appropriate medication. “When Alejandro* was sick I had to stay in the hospital all day with him without food or water, then return home in the evenings and repeat the process for weeks until he was released. I couldn’t work and I had no money,” explained Ana Maria*. The harsh living situations they encountered exacerbated by new urban violence left little room for joy and tranquility. These conditions, along with the stress of having to adapt to a lifestyle that was foreign to the campesino way of life made a situation of desperation into a crisis with no hint of a solution.
These families were both physically and psychologically far from a place they could even begin to call “home”. As Mrs. Valdes* described, “The thought of returning back to our fincas was the only thing that offered me any kind of solace.” In 1999, some families decided that they could not continue to live under such conditions and that they would return to their beloved Promisión. With the support of the ACA (Peasant Association of Antioquia) and the International Red Cross, these families returned to their homes for the first time since they had left. Nonetheless, they were forced to displace again after only two months because of the assassination by paramilitaries of four campesinos.

Returning home: Eight years later, during the second half of 2006, 15 out of 38 families that fled decided that returning to Promisión was long overdue. They wanted to return with the support of the local government officials, including the Mayor of Angelópolis, Jaime Gomez, and in a way that would guarantee their rights as displaced people. The ACA has been supporting this process and making sure that Colombian legal requirements are implemented and respected. Thus far, the community has met several times with what is known as a Local Attention Committee for the Displaced Population (CLAIPD). Some of the relevant bodies that take part in these meetings include: Acción Social (provides state-funded food, supplies, and transportation), Mayor Gomez, Representatives of the National Police and IV Army Brigade, along with other government entities. These meetings are meant to provide a space where they can collectively assess and reach consensus about what is needed and required in order for displaced communities to return to their lands. This, of course, results in a complicated and bureaucratic process that takes a lot of time, patience, and will. Given the fact that the families were forced to leave their homes almost ten years ago and have since endured hardship, the process has reached a boiling point for many.

On September 7, FOR accompanied the ACA and 17 adults with their children to visit Promisión. For the vast majority of these adults, it was the first time since they displaced about ten years ago. They had been planning and organizing this visit since early this year, lining up food, supplies, and appropriate security measures. Finally on Friday morning, packed and ready to head towards their longed for fincas, the families arrived at the ACA eager to begin the day’s journey. Their goal was to be able to personally observe and assess the current condition of their houses and fields, and scope out the work that will need to be invested to improve those conditions. They also wanted to analyze the security situation and speak to residents in Angelópolis who could offer them information about risks associated with returning to Promisión.

We arrived in Angelópolis on Friday afternoon and every face glowed with the joy and excitement of finally finding themselves so close to their homes. The adults were eager and somewhat anxious to get on the next vehicle that could take them to the top of the mountain, only an hour and half walk from their fincas. However, they first had to speak to Mayor Goméz to ensure that he was aware of their presence and to officially let him know that they were going to visit their homes, despite the fact that they received an ominous letter from him the previous evening stating that the “The municipal administration did not commit itself to offering the minimal security measures” for them, and discouraging the return visit. The Mayor was nowhere to be found. So instead they went to the National Police station to officially introduce themselves and explain the reason for their visit. The commander in charge told the community that he found no reason why they couldn’t visit their homes, as there was no knowledge of any illegal armed groups in the region. With that said, the community got on the next vehicle wearing smiles that stretched from ear to ear.

After a long hike that combined up and downhills, mud, banana trees, and streams, we arrived at the finca where we would stay for the next six days. The house had two and a half bedrooms that were decorated with cobwebs, bats, old rusty tools, broken pieces of plastic, and lots and lots of dust. It was one of the few houses in a good enough condition for us to sleep and cook in. Everyone was so excited to be there that it did not matter that everyone would sleep on the floor with 12 blankets for 21 adults and eight children, that there was no electricity, that there were very limited amounts of rice and beans, and that there were many hungry mosquitoes ready have a feast.

That evening an important conversation took place. They all shared their joy and then moved on to another topic. They had previously been informed that there were some families who had settled on their property during the time the community was displaced. Colombia’s displaced populations are found all over the place, and while some flee to the barrios populares, others settle in vacant rural areas with hopes of starting again with the fertile land’s natural resources. This is exactly what some of these returning families found to be the case with their property: the home and land they left behind years ago was now inhabited by another family who had been cultivating crops there and now depended on it for a living. These new settlers, however, are also poor peasants who were forced to flee their own communities some years back by the same mechanisms of violence.

This added to the complexity of their situation. They not only have to worry about getting back to their lands legally and with the necessary support from the state, but they also feel the families who settled in their property need to be acknowledged and not forced to displace as it would only perpetuate the cycle of internal displacement of peasant communities in Colombia.

Beyond today: There are many questions circulating among community members. How long will it be before all the paperwork and funding gets processed? When will they be able to finally return home? Although in the last CLAID meeting on September 14 Acción Social committed itself to providing food for the returning families and funds for the reconstruction of their homes, there is still a long list of pending bureaucratic demands.

There is also the worry that the community might face threats or violence upon their return. But as Mrs. Goméz* said, “I already lost it all once and now there is nothing to be afraid of. We deserve to be back in our home and work our land. Fear is not something that is going to stop me”.

Some Thoughts on my experiences...

This entry is mostly an update of what has been a wonderful, yet challenging experience for me. I have now entered my fourth month as a volunteer for FOR and I find it hard to believe that are other contexts outside of mine, where people live their lives ignoring the realities that trap so many lives into a narrow road with sharp rocks along the way. Why do humans feel that “other people’s” struggles are not their own, and reduce pandemics such as HIV/AIDS as being an “African problem”, and shove the immigration issue in the USA to being “a brown struggle” and subjugate the Middle-east as a terrorist haven, while labeling the World’s Drug issues as Colombia's? There is actually a collective impact that results from all of these and there is an US that can change the route that such problems take. Suffering, whether “ours” or “theirs” needs attention and action worldwide, as they are not isolated issues with a personal ID number on it. More so, I find it difficult to understand why struggles, like those here in Colombia get lost in the newspaper behind all the other news articles that describe the continuous War in Iraq and Afghanistan, about child labor in Vietnam and Philippines, about homicides in Johannesburg, about poverty in Mozambique and Malawi, and the long list of events and issues continues to multiply, probably parallel in numbers to the bank accounts of our current world leaders, CEO’s and celebrities. Why is it so many people feel that by reading their literature or reading a newspaper, they have done their contribution for the day as oppose to seeing it as the beginning of what they can do? I guess we should not be surprised that modern day humans, “the most civilized of the hominids” has still not figured out how to end poverty or to reach world peace in this 21st century.

This sorrow sometimes penetrates deep beneath my skin.

That expressed, my point was really to share a bit about my experiences here in La Unión which is a vereda/settlement of homes that form part the Peace Community of San José. There are so many things that a few months seemed new to me, and that have now become the usual. The sounds of the animals in the middle of the night, the blasting vallenato music, the soldiers along the path, and the tension that seems to travel in the air and that comes to tap my shoulders on any given day for this reason or that. The once hard to annunciate names of community members, leaders, other NGO's, governent figures, etc, that now slide easily off my tongue. And, ofcourse, the heavy conversations about the atrocities experienced by people here that have moved from feeling heavy on my shoulders to a safer place in my heart. There are also those life moments that come along as the year continues and we mark an X on already lived day. My 25th birthday was celebrated here (in La Unión) just last month (something I could have never imagined happening). There was love and joy all day and I knew that something like this would probably not repeat itself; at least, not in the same way, with the exact same people, and the same smiles and laughter that were shared because I was another year old.

While being here I have witnessed the difficulty that campesinos (farmers; agricultural workers) here face to be able to simultaneously heal from their yesterdays and continue with the process of the community building they started 10 years ago. I have enjoyed birthday celebrations and have seen people enjoy the dazzling colors of a sunset on a humid day. And, I have also seen the fear in people’s eyes when they hear the news of a recent threat, a death, and/or are told that the military is in proximity to their homes. I have seen how difficulties can easily transform into a crisis or become only an insignificant stone along the way. Overall, I have to say that I have personally grown during this short time and strongly believe that this change has taken place both personally and professionally.

What is easiest to speak of is my own growing process. I feel blessed in many ways to be here, living in a community that has opened its homes and hearts to my presence. I have so much respect for all the people here for staying on their land and continuing to live their lives in a way they feel should be rightfully respected. I agree with them. Civilians need not to be caught in the middle of the conflict as they have been forced to do since beginning of the most violent periods in this country. This understanding did not come to me solely from reading a book, or reading the history of this region, it mostly came to me through speaking to the people here and hearing their stories. There is a common experience that binds this community, that is, they all have personally suffered the loss of a loved one and have been forced to feel the fear that comes when one is in danger and when the possibilities of losing another family members is not a far off possibility. I do not presume to understand the depth of their experience, nor to speak for them, but while hearing them, I often remember that there is a permanent damage in their being, as no one can ever replaced those beings that they still long for.

It is difficult to hear the tragedies: people disappeared, murdered, framed, massacres, threats, intimidation, etc. Although such experiences are their reality and are some of the main reasons why FOR provides physical accompaniment to the community, there is also another reality that takes place here. I am amazed at the determination the community has to make the best out of their experiences and be able to live their lives as dignified campesinos. Their painful stories are not an everyday conversation. There is also gossip and jokes, small talk, laughter, music and dancing. They sit together in their neighbor’s homes and watch telenovelas and news and soccer. The kids love to go to the river and swim for hours, play with our puzzles, kick the hell out of our soccer ball; and, well, most of the time people are passing by with smiles on their face on their way to collect their harvest or carrying wood for the day care, enjoying a buñuelo (deep-fried dough ball with cheese) that they bought for 100 pesos (about 5 cents), or on their way to buy eggs from someone. What is unique here is that although their core values as a community and conviction to live in peace are solid, what is experienced as an ordinary life remains fragile because there are external forces that can easily interrupt their mundane days. This will be true for as long as the armed conflict and intimidation they face from legal and illegal forces continues.

I am often time at a loss for words here because of something someone said or because of the unexpected visits we get from someone brining us food or plantains or pastries. Their generosity is one of the most noticeable qualities. I find myself so perplexed at how the different lifestyles that children here share than those back home. I know that the little womyn here might not necessarily know how to use the newest ipod cell phone , but they can climb the 20ft high mango tree, or work with a machete to clean out the weeds on the path. I wonder what beholds their future. How the little kiddies who now play with our dominoes and puzzles will grow up and inevitably be forced to understand who she/he is in the context of this armed conflict. While it is difficult to have a full understanding of the complexity that surrounds this region, it is really simple to realize that over all circumstances, the basic human right to live violence-free, should always be respected.

How is it that humans have created a world where wars are no longer an option but a forced lifestyle? In these modern-day wars, I wonder whose security is being defended and from who? Is it the National, regional, or the personal/economical one?

I do not know that this has an answer, but I am sure that it is worth thinking about. Anyways, all in all, what I wanted to say in so many words is that I am grateful to be here where I have witnessed the strength and courage that human beings are capable of investing for a better world. I am also, inevitably saddened that there are some many reasons why the presence of international human rights observers continues to be on high demand here and in other places in the world.

Death and dying as we are living

Morir es Vivir.

I heard a member of the Peace community say this. She further added: "I am not afraid of death, I have always known it will one day come, for me and for everybody." -June 23rd

What does death mean across the board? Dying and death, the dead and dying. The context, circumstances and conditions of this process vary; however, death is always death no matter how you put it. I do not want to dwell in a religious epilogue of the meaning of death; instead, I just had an urge to write about the recent experiences I’ve had with other’s dying. In particular as I am here in Colombia interacting with a community that has had too many experiences with death, often in the most brutal way that ends up adding more cases to the “unresolved files” that fuel the high level of impunity in the country.

Obviously there is a big difference between dying of a natural cause (i.e. old age), because of health reasons, and being killed/murdered. I understand these differences, nonetheless, I have a hard time separating the meaning of death and applying it to all scenarios. When I see the mourning process, the people that are left to tell the tale of the difunto (deceased) or when death is anticipated and people have a chance to talk about it and/or somehow prepare for it it seems like the living are left with the responsibility of explaining the meaning of so and so’s death. This April, only a month after being here in with Peace Community, I got news that my good friend Jessa had passed on to next world; she died after fighting cancer for almost a year. It was a death I was prepared for, mostly through Jessa’s own guidance as we openly spoke of her death and about how she was living with love all around during the entire process. Just a few weeks ago, I heard that my oldest aunt on my father’s side is currently battling cancer and that her treatment has been stopped as she is now facing the last stages of the illness. She is facing her death as it faces her through a chronic illness that has paved the way to deliver her to the end of her life.

But, here, I hear about another kind of death. It is bloody red and it really doesn’t have a fixed diagnosis. It blends with violence and it is paradoxically both blunt and invisible. There always seems to be more questions than answers and a murder can become the most important event to some individuals, while being rendered as insignificant by others.

On Monday, July 9^th during evening hours, a policeman identified as Hernán Lopéz Cardona was killed in San José by what is believed to have been a direct attack from members of the FARC. The attack took place on the police post that was established there in 2005, resulting with the Peace Community displacing, as it was clear that it was a risk to their safety since it would make the civilians the convenient buffer zone during combat.

Four days later, on Friday the 13th, we heard about the death of a civilian. He is identified as Dairo Torres and the Peace Community states that Dairo’s murder is the most recent example of how attacks against civilian Campesino/as continue to take place. The Peace Community has identified Dairo as one of their members and leaders. He was described as a member who attended their asembleas (large periodic meetings requiring participation of all members of the Peace Community), and who had been working in their agricultural project that functions through the organizing of work-groups.

The Peace Community explains that Dairo Torres was killed around noon by two men dressed as civilians. These individuals are said to have stopped the “chivero” (jeep used as public transportation) Dairo was boarded on when it was on its way to San José. These chiveros are available on an estimated hourly basis and provide relatively cheap transportation on the only road available for folks to get to/from San José and Apartadó. Further details of the event include that the chivero was stopped shortly after passing the police check-point (it is believed to be about a two-minute drive from this check-point). There were apparently no policemen on duty at that particular time. It is believed that the two armed individuals asked Dairo to get off the chivero and after Dairo refused to do so, he was shot at once, and was then forcibly removed from the vehicle. These unidentified men are said to have ordered the chivero driver continue on his way. Dairo’s body was found on the side of the road right where the chivero was stopped.

Moreover, they say that the same end results applies to the vast majority of cases like these: the perpetrator is never caught and the justice system fails to win another battle against impunity. Member of the Peace Community stated that the two men who killed Dairo are paramilitaries and that witnesses heard them identify themselves as being members of the Aguilas Negras (Black Eagles; paramilitary group that emerged after Uribe’s demobilization process for the paramilitaries was in effect, legally known as Ley de Justicia y Paz).

Why was Dairo Torres killed ? Why was his murder executed in plain daylight and in a way that provided witnesses? Who can prove that paramilitaries might be behind his death?

The Peace Community has now added two more deaths to the toll: “We have now lost 180 members of the Peace Community” were the words uttered by one of the Community leaders.

The local media has released articles stating that Dairo Torres was not a member of the Peace Community. Does his affiliation with the Peace Community determine how extra-judicial his killing was? Or does his independence from it make the individuals responsible for it a bit less heavy on the murder scale?

What is clear is that this last week resulted with two deaths and that those responsible have contributed to the already overloaded files of cases that sooner than later become bluntly invisible under the new cases that get stacked above them.

The fact is that the Peace Community continues to find motives to stay united as an alternative to the historical and present day violence, hoping that both legal and illegal groups/individuals who bear arms can fully respect the lives of civilians. This is the reality that continues to feed deaths to the long-lasting conflicto armado (aka guerra) in Colombia.

And I sit here, pondering about all the other kinds of deaths that go unnoticed, unheard of, either because they happen clandestinely, silently, or because there are no ears to listen...

For more information on recent events in the Community, including Dairo’s Death please read the comunicado released by FOR posted on my blog or visit the Peace Community´s Webpage

FOR statement: Paramilitaries Kill Member of Peace Community

Paramilitaries Kill Leader of San José de Apartadó Peace Community

Paramilitary gunmen killed Dairo Torres, a leader of the San José de Apartadó Peace Community, on Friday, July 13, shortly after 12 noon, according to the community. Torres was a passenger on one of the jeeps that serve as the only public transport between the city of Apartadó and San José, when it was intercepted by two paramilitaries – the same men who detained the jeep the previous day and made threats against the Peace Community. The community said that gunmen told Torres to get off the jeep, which he did; they told the driver to continue, and then they killed Torres on the spot.

The killing occurred only two minutes from a police checkpoint, where earlier in the day witnesses saw the gunmen sitting and conversing with police.

Torres was a leader of the humanitarian zone of Alto Bonito, a hamlet of San José de Apartadó. He is the fourth San José humanitarian zone leader to be killed in the last 20 months. Humanitarian zones are sites established by the Peace Community where civilians can go in case of combat between the armed groups that are active in the area, and be respected under the norms of international humanitarian law.

The killing occurred just four days after an attack by FARC guerrillas on the police post in the town center of San José de Apartadó, which killed a policeman, Hernán López Cardona, and wounded another policeman. In April 2005, the Peace Community displaced to land a mile from the town center when the police post was installed, precisely because it would make the civilian population a military target for the FARC.

Extensive Colombian media reports of the FARC attack conflated the Peace Community – which has no presence near the police post – with the San José town center where the police are located. La Patria, in a July 12 tribute to the fallen policeman, wrote “San José de Apartadó, [is] a population denominated as a Peace Community. Nevertheless, the guerrillas patrol there and this was demonstrated by the attack.” El Tiempo also stated that the attack took place “in the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó.” None of the media reports mentioned that the Peace Community had displaced away from the town center when the police post was established, so as not to live with any armed group.

The day after the attack, according to the community, police told several people in San José that the attack had originated from the Peace Community’s settlement and that it would pay for it. On July 12, according to a community statement, paramilitary gunmen on the Apartadó-San José road identified themselves to public transport passengers as ‘Aguilas Negras’ (Black Eagles), and said “that SOB peace community would begin to pay very dearly.” ‘Aguilas Negras’ is the name used by a paramilitary group newly active in several parts of Colombia.

The Peace Community first announced the establishment of humanitarian zones in Alto Bonito and seven other hamlets in February 2005. Ten days later, two families, including Community leader Luis Eduardo Guerra, were massacred by men whom witnesses said were army soldiers. Army soldiers killed Arlen Salas, coordinator of the Arenas Altas humanitarian zone, in November 2005, in what it said was an accident; soldiers killed his successor, Edilberto Vásquez in January 2006, claiming he was a guerrilla killed in combat. Seven soldiers subsequently have been charged with his murder. Francisco Puertas, another humanitarian zone leader, was killed by a paramilitary gunman on May 13 of this year.

The shameless challenge to Washington’s purported values of human rights could not be more direct. The hundreds of violations, including more than 180 killings, against the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, have been the subject of mandatory protective rulings by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and six collective letters from dozens of Members of Congress to Colombian officials and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. More than $70 million of U.S. military aid was suspended in 2005, in large part as a result of outrage over the massacre in San José in February 2005. Members of Congress have visited the Peace Community. FOR and many other NGOs have focused the attention of thousands of people to urge the Colombian government to put an end to the violence and impunity against this community.

If this is what happens to a community that Colombian and US officials say they are acting to protect, what is the fate of the many communities in Colombian conflict zones that are not the subject of so much human rights concern? After all this, why should the United States continue to support Colombia’s military and police forces when clear collaboration between state and paramilitary forces routinely results in the murder of members of this small and neutral peasant community?

Please take action!

Write an email or fax to the US Department of State, expressing sorrow for the killings of Hernán López Cardona and Dairo Torres, and urging:

• That State Department officials make a public declaration expressing concern about reports of police collaboration in the assassination of Dairo Torres,
• That State Department officials publicly support the establishment and honoring of humanitarian zones in areas of conflict as instruments for upholding the principle in international humanitarian law of protection of civilians from adversaries in armed conflict.

The Fellowship of Reconciliation believes that the United States should suspend assistance to the Colombian National Police until the reported links of its members to paramilitary groups or other illegal armed groups are fully investigated and prosecuted.

Contact:
Jonathan D. Farrar
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Email: FarrarJD2@state.gov Fax: 202-647-5283

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Statements by Peace Community:
PARAMILITARES ASESINAN A DAIRO

Con dolor, rabia e impotencia hacemos esta constancia del asesinato de nuestro compañero, amigo y líder DAIRO TORRES.

Ayer 13 de julio a las 12:15 p.m., a cinco minutos de la salida de Apartadó en la carretera hacia San José, fue interceptado el vehículo de servicio público por dos paramilitares, los mismos que habían salido el jueves 12 de julio haciendo amenazas contra la comunidad. Pararon el vehículo los paramilitares y con armas cortas en las manos le dijeron a DAIRO que se bajará, DAIRO se bajó, luego los paramilitares le dijeron al chofer del carro que siguiera, y allí mismo asesinaron a DAIRO.

El asesinato ocurrió a menos de dos minutos del retén de la policía, pero el descaro no para allí, hacia las 9:10 a.m. se le habían visto a los dos paramilitares conversando y sentados con la policía en el retén que tienen en el Mangolo a la salida de Apartadó hacia San José. La complicidad es total, aquí sobran las palabras, los hechos son mas dicientes.

DAIRO era coordinador de la zona humanitaria de Alto Bonito (ubicada a cuatro horas de San Josesito), un líder que venía trabajando con la comunidad desde el 2004, un hombre íntegro, serio, responsable, un líder total que trabajaba incansablemente por las veredas. Participaba activamente en las asambleas de la comunidad, en sus reuniones, un artífice en el proceso de la comunidad.

Sabemos ya del cinismo y descaro del estado que dirán mentiras como lo hicieron con el asesinato de Francisco Puertas el 14 de mayo: fue delincuencia común, aquí no existen paramilitares, era un guerrillero, no era líder, no trabajaba con la comunidad, lo expulsaron de la comunidad, lo mataron en otro lado, etc, etc.

Es un crimen de los paramilitares en total complicidad con la policía, ya veníamos dejando constancia de estos hechos sin que ninguna institución del Estado actuara en absoluto, las amenazas de la policía no se dejaron esperar y sus mensajeros los paramilitares cumplieron órdenes bastante rápido.

Es un golpe brutal para la comunidad, para la zona, ya que DAIRO era un hombre claro en la resistencia civil y en su liderazgo en las veredas. Pedimos con urgencia la solidaridad nacional e internacional para exigirle al estado que pare el exterminio contra la comunidad, contra la población civil de la zona.

Esta es una acción atroz y por ello mismo sabemos que el dolor nos debe llevar a seguir resistiendo civilmente como lo hemos hecho, como no lo enseñó DAIRO, que sigue y seguirá entre nosotros, dándonos luces y ayudándonos a seguir de pie, mas firmes que nunca en los principios que defendió, como es el derecho a ser respetada la población civil en medio del conflicto armado. A su familia, su compañera, sus tres hijos pequeños, nuestro más sentido pésame, estamos con ustedes para seguir en esta causa justa por la vida, la paz y la dignidad.

COMUNIDAD DE PAZ DE SAN JOSE DE APARTADO
Julio 14 de 2007

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AMENAZAS DE LOS PARAMILITARES

Para la Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó es un deber moral dejar constancia de todas las agresiones que vive constantemente nuestro proceso, esto permitirá que algún día la humanidad haga justicia contra los sembradores de muerte que han realizado cantidad de crímenes de lesa humanidad.

- El día 12 de julio a las 5:35 p.m. en el sitio llamado Tierra Amarilla, a diez minutos de Apartadó en la carretera hacia San José, dos paramilitares detuvieron el carro de servicio público, los dos hombres de civil estaban con armas cortas, dijeron que eran águilas negras y que iban a estar controlando la zona y que esa h.p. Comunidad de Paz la iba a comenzar a pagar bien caro, requisaron el carro miraron a los pasajeros y le dijeron al chofer que siguiera.

La misma amenaza que realiza la policía el 10 de julio la hacen ahora los paramilitares, no es raro siempre han trabajado juntos, los paramilitares como siempre se mueven tranquilamente en una carretera controlada en su totalidad por policía y ejército. Así es el accionar de muerte que hemos tenido que vivir durante diez años.

Sabemos que el gobierno, la fuerza pública dice que todo es mentira, las muertes de los paramilitares no existen, los ataques de la guerrilla en Urabá son hechos aislados. Para nosotros no es raro que digan y nieguen esto, nosotros que vivimos en carne propia el conflicto armado y el actuar conjunto de paramilitares y fuerza pública sabemos que cumplirán sus amenazas contra nuestro proceso.

Pese a las amenazas de la policía y los paramilitares no retrocederemos, indudablemente nos generan miedo, terror, pero también dignidad y valor para no cederles a los asesinos ni un centímetro de espacios de vida, sus amenazas no nos harán retroceder en nuestros principios, y aquí estaremos diariamente en nuestra tierra construyendo alternativas de vida. Agradecemos la solidaridad nacional e internacional que caminan con nosotros en esta búsqueda por construir un mundo alternativo.

COMUNIDAD DE PAZ DE SAN JOSE DE APARTADO
Julio 13 de 2007

SE NOS QUIERE ATACAR DE NUEVO OCULTANDO LA REALIDAD
El día 9 de julio hacia las nueve de la noche se presentaron combates en el corregimiento de San José de Apartadó entre la guerrilla y la fuerza pública, según noticias locales un policía resultó muerto y uno herido.

La policía dijo a varias personas de San José el 10 de julio entre la 1 y 2 p.m. que dicho ataque había salido de la Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó desde San Josesito y que esa comunidad h.p. la iba a pagar bien caro

El gobierno el mismo 10 de junio manifestó a medios de comunicación que se trataba de hechos aislados y que San José es el corregimiento mas prospero y eso de la Comunidad de Paz ya no existe, que existía un grupito en una finca pero que esa comunidad estaba acabada.

Todas estas expresiones demuestran la falta de transparencia y la verdad con que actúa este gobierno y la fuerza pública, se nos quiere como siempre culpar por parte de la fuerza pública de acciones de guerra que solo son responsabilidad de los dos actores armados la Fuerza Pública-paramilitares y la guerrilla.

Nos preocupa las amenazas y acciones que puedan realizarse contra la comunidad debido a los señalamientos que está realizando la policía. Pedimos la solidaridad nacional e internacional ante estos hechos.

Se evidencia la total complicidad del gobierno a los hechos de muerte que vienen sucediendo en la región ya que el paramilitarismo sigue actuando y asesinando en la región y no se hace nada, total impunidad, se aumenta la confrontación armada entre el Estado y la guerrilla y esta oculta llamándolo hechos aislados y lo peor acusando de ellos a la comunidad como lo dice la fuerza pública.

Creemos que es necesario dejar constancia de los hechos que están sucediendo para que la verdad desde las víctimas quede plasmada en la historia y no dejar solo la versión de los victimarios que como se evidencia oculta y falsea los hechos, demostrando de esta forma su actuar sucio y perverso.

Exigimos el respeto a la población civil en medio de esta confrontación armada que sufre la zona de Urabá, sabemos que la realidad nos muestra la continua necesidad de nuestra experiencia como comunidad neutral a los actores armados y generadora de vida en medio de la guerra.

COMUNIDAD DE PAZ DE SAN JOSE DE APARTADO
Julio 11 de 2007
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Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó
http://www.cdpsanjose.org