Colombian Activists Targeted by Government Assassination Plot

Date Issued: October 5, 2006

Colombia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a human rights defender.

Colombian human rights defender, Berenice Celeyta Alayón, recently obtained leaked secret government documents describing a plot targeting her and 12 other human rights activists.  

The government falsely accuses the activists as being part of a narco-terrorist network and of having ties to guerrillas.

Ms. Celeyta is not a terrorist. Rather, she defends the human rights of workers, Afro-Colombians, internally displaced people and poor communities. She won a prestigious international human rights award in 1998 in recognition of her work.

You can help to ensure that Ms. Celeyta, and other Colombian human rights activists do not become victims of these plans to harm them.  Please urge the Colombian government to protect these activists and to investigate those involved in plotting to assassinate them.

Background

In a recently uncovered secret report from the Attorney-General’s office Ms. Celeyta and 12 other human rights defenders are falsely identified as being part of a terrorist network with links to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Colombian guerrilla organizations, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN). The report includes photographs, profiles and personal information about the human rights defenders. The accusations of ties to the illegal guerrilla organizations place the activists in grave danger of being harmed by right-wing paramilitaries. Such paramilitary groups often kill those suspected of cooperating with the FARC or ELN.

Ms. Celeyta and Senator Alexander Lopez Maya, an opposition Senator also targeted in the document, alerted the police to the assassination plot against them. However, they fear that the authorities have not undertaken a thorough investigation.

The discovery of the plot to harm the 13 defenders is the latest in a series of plans in recent years to assassinate human rights defenders in Cali, South-West Colombia. Raids by the Attorney-General’s office in August 2004 revealed an extensive operation to execute 175 human rights defenders in Cali, including Ms. Celeyta and Senator Lopez. The plan involved Colombian military officers acting with the assistance of private security firms and was named Operation Dragon. Hit men had reportedly already been paid to kill the activists and they were about to execute their plans when the Operation was discovered.

Operation Dragon also obtained information from the Interior Ministry’s Protection Program. This Program is supposedly confidential and is intended to provide security to those human rights defenders who are receiving threats.  However, it was this body that was providing information to the very people intent on killing the activists.

As with the recently discovered Attorney-General’s report, the Operation Dragon documents contained detailed personal information about the human rights defenders, including information about their families and private residences, while making allegations that they were linked to terrorist organizations.

More than two years after Operation Dragon was discovered, no one has been prosecuted despite clear evidence linking specific members of the military to plans to kill 175 human rights defenders. With the discovery of the latest report, it appears that Operation Dragon has expanded to now included officials in the Attorney-General’s office, the very people who should be responsible for investigating these crimes. Ms. Celeyta has now received indications from the Attorney-General’s office that the investigations into Operation Dragon will be closed.

The highest levels of political leadership in Colombia, including the President, must publicly declare that human rights defenders such as Ms. Celeyta are not terrorists, and that they and their valuable activities must be protected. The Colombian government must also ensure that thorough, public and independent investigations are launched to prosecute those responsible for Operation Dragon and the latest report. The Colombian government must also provide Ms. Celeyta and the threatened human rights defenders with adequate protection to guarantee their security, integrity, and ability to perform their work unimpeded.
More information about Operation Dragon:

http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/blog/archives/000334.htm#more

http://www.rfkmemorial.org/human_rights/1998/
Operacion_Dragon_SUMMARY.pdf

Sample Letter

Spanish Version of this Letter (PDF-22KB)

His Excellency Dr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez
President of Colombia
Cra. 8 No. 7-26, Palacio de Nariño,  
Santa fe de Bogotá.
Colombia

Your Excellency: 

I am writing to express my deep concern about the recent discovery of an Attorney-General’s report and assassination plot targeting 13 human rights defenders, including Berenice Celeyta Alayon and Senator Alexander Lopez Maya. I understand that the report falsely accuses the activists of being part of a narco-terrorist network and of having ties to illegal guerrilla organizations.

The 13 human rights defenders are not terrorists. On the contrary, they perform work which is vital to protecting the human rights of economically disadvantaged and otherwise vulnerable Colombians.

The latest plans to harm Ms. Celeyta, Senator Lopez and the 11 other human rights defenders seem to follow a pattern established in what has been referred to as Operation Dragon. It was a plot discovered in 2004 to kill 175 human rights defenders involving named Colombian military officers. I am dismayed that no one has been prosecuted for orchestrating Operation Dragon after two years and despite the existence of clear evidence linking members of the military to plans to kill human rights defenders.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Colombia has ratified, protects human rights defenders’ right to freedom of expression. Where that right is breached by acts of intimidation, the ICCPR also obliges States Parties to investigate those violations. The 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders also requires States to protect human rights defenders against attacks or threats. Moreover, it calls upon States Parties to conduct exhaustive and impartial investigations into allegations of human rights violations.

I call on the government of Colombia to:

1. Publicly declare that human rights defenders such as Ms. Celeyta and Senator Lopez are not terrorists, but instead perform valuable work.

1. Provide the 13 threatened human rights defenders with adequate protection to guarantee their security, integrity, and ability to perform their work in an unimpeded manner.

3. Conduct exhaustive, impartial, and public investigations into those responsible for Operation Dragon and the recent Attorney-General’s report and to effectively prosecute those individuals.

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

cc.

Vice President
Dr Francisco Santos 
Cra. 8 No. 7-26, Palacio de Nariño,  
Santa fe de Bogotá, Colombia
Fax: (+57 1) 566.20.71

Dr.  Edgardo José Maya Villazón  
General Ombudsman
Carrera 5 No. 15-80 
Santa Fe de Bogotá 
Fax: (+57 1)342.97.23  

Dr.  Volmar Antonio Pérez Ortiz
Public Defender
Calle 55 No. 10-32 
Bogotá