Stop Attacks on Colombian Human Rights Defenders

Date Issued: May 12, 2009

Two incidents in recent weeks show the range of threats Colombian human rights defenders face all across the country, from trumped-up evidence to outright acts of violence.  

On April 22, 2009, two unknown men assaulted Mauricio Meza Blanco as he left his home and tried to force him into a nearby van. Meza is a well-known human rights activist in Bucaramanga, in northern Colombia, who has been working to publicize the grave environmental effects of large agricultural and energy projects.

In a separate incident in Caqueta, in southern Colombia, a secret intelligence report emerged listing 97 people as members of the Amazon Front of the FARC rebel group. The report stated that those listed, including several notable human rights leaders, would be prosecuted. Many of the activists on the list planned to participate in a Truth Hearing in Caqueta just a few days after the report came to light. The hearing was designed to air testimony about extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations allegedly committed by the army.

In a recent report, Human Rights First documented the widespread use of uncorroborated intelligence reports to falsely prosecute Colombian defenders as terrorists. You can see a brief video about the problem here.

We fear that the above incidents may be attempts to silence activists who have the courage to expose human rights violations. Take action now to demand that the government promptly investigate both cases to establish whether the law was broken and, if so, to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Background

On the evening of April 22, 2009, a van pulled up in front of Mauricio Meza Blanco's house just as he was leaving. Two men jumped out while the driver remained at the wheel with the engine running.  They violently tackled Meza, attempting to drag him into the van.  Meza resisted until two police officers happened to pass by, after which the two attackers got in the truck and drove off.  The assault on Meza may be tied to recent television appearances and human rights work as a leader of the Organization for the Development of the East (Compromiso).  According to Compromiso, the assailants made reference to his work while they assaulted him.

Meza is president of the board of Compromiso and the coordinator of its Program for Participation and Development.  Compromiso is a local human rights NGO offering legal services to social organizations and victims of human rights violations.  The organization also educates the public on participatory democracy, alternative development, and human rights, and has been concerned with issues of environmental protection and indigenous land rights in the face of agro-industrial and energy projects in the Santander department.  The government has not provided adequate protection to human rights defenders in Bucaramanga, in part because of their location, despite repeated attacks. 

In Caqueta, human rights organizations recently became aware of a military intelligence report listing 97 alleged members of the Amazon Front of the FARC rebel group along with their addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs.  Included among the human rights lawyers, university professors, and community leaders on the list was Domingo Emilio Perez Cuellar, President of the NGO Caguan Vive, the Caqueta chapter of the National Movement of Victims of State Crimes (MOVICE), an internationally-recognized NGO.  The Ministry of Defense has not confirmed the authenticity of the document, but at least ten people included on the list have reportedly been arrested in military raids.  The intelligence file indicates that criminal charges should be brought against those listed.  However, the intelligence report provides no evidence or reasoning to suggest that these individuals are terrorists. Furthermore, under Colombian law, intelligence reports cannot be used as evidence in criminal prosecutions.

In a recent report Human Rights First documented the widespread use of uncorroborated intelligence reports to falsely prosecute Colombian defenders as terrorists. 

Sample Letter:

Dr. Mario Hernan Iguaran Arana
Fiscal General de la Nacion
Diagonal 22-B #52-01
Bogota, Colombia.

Dear Attorney General:

I am writing to you to express my grave concern about recent incidents that I fear are attempts to silence Colombian human rights defenders.

On April 22, 2009, in Bucaramanga, two unknown men assaulted Mauricio Meza Blanco, President of the Board of the Organization for the Development of the East (Compromiso). Meza is a well-known human rights activist in Bucaramanga who has been working to publicize the grave environmental effects of several large agricultural and energy projects in the area. That evening, a van pulled up in front of Meza's house just as he was leaving. Two men jumped out, while the driver remained at the wheel with the engine running. They violently tackled Meza, attempting to drag him into the van. The assailants reportedly made reference to his work while they assaulted him. Meza resisted until two police officers passed by, after which the two assailants drove away. I am concerned that the assault is tied to Meza's recent television appearance and human rights work as a leader of Compromiso.

In another part of the country, in early May 2009, a military intelligence report was discovered in the department of Caqueta. The report listed 97 individuals as members of the Support Network for the Amazon Front of the FARC rebel group. The report was written by Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Eduardo Gutierrez Hortua, director of the Regional Military Intelligence Unit No. 6 in Florencia (No MD-EJC-CIME-RIME6-53.1, February 12, 2008).

Included among the human rights lawyers, university professors, and community leaders was Domingo Emilio Perez Cuellar, president of the Caqueta chapter of the respected National Movement of Victims of State Crimes (MOVICE). The document, dated February 12, 2008, stated that a criminal process was underway against them. Many of the human rights defenders included in the report planned to participate in a Truth Hearing in Caqueta just a few days after the report came to light. The hearing was to air testimony about extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations allegedly committed by the army. I understand that the Ministry of Defense has not confirmed the authenticity of the report, but that at least ten people included on the list have been arrested in military raids.

I am concerned that both incidents are an attempt to silence human rights defenders who courageously expose human rights violations. In the case of Mauricio Meza, I ask that Prosecutor's office in Bucaramanga open an investigation into the assault and work with the police to apprehend the perpetrators. I also ask that the Interior and Justice Ministry convene a meeting of its Risk Evaluation Committee (CRER) in Bucaramanga to assess Mr. Meza's protection scheme and to evaluate the risks that other human rights defenders face in Bucaramanga.

In the case of the Caqueta military intelligence report, I ask that the Defense Ministry confirm the authenticity of the document. The Defense Ministry should also either provide conclusive evidence that the human rights defenders listed are in fact members of the FARC unit or publicly clear their names and initiate an investigation and disciplinary proceedings against the intelligence officials that prepared the document. Moreover, the Prosecutor's office should review the detentions of people listed in the intelligence report to see if the new Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence Law has been breached. That law prohibits intelligence reports from being used as evidence in criminal investigations.

Human Rights First recently documented over 30 cases of baseless prosecutions of human rights defenders, many of them improperly based on intelligence reports. I urge you to act firmly to ensure that this practice ends, and that any and all unfair criminal charges be dropped immediately.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I will continue to closely monitor this situation.