AN APPEAL THE COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT

Summer University, 

Tamera, Portugal

1.8.2009

 INTRODUCTION

People belonging to around fifteen different nationalities currently meeting in Monte do Cerro, Colos, Portugal to take part in Summer University want to appeal to he Colombian Government regarding the situation of the Peace Village of San José de Apartadó because of the aggressions perpetrated against it since twelve years ago, which have been intensified in these last months.

The Summer University has been organized by the Peace Research Center Tamera (www.tamera.org). Founded in 1995 by Dr. Dieter Duhm (Psychoanalyst and Art Historian), Sabine Lichtenfels (Theologian) and others after many years of preparation. Tamera has today around 200 coworkers. Its goal is the development of an international and sustainable model for a future society based on trust, truth and solidarity. Tamera cooperates with peace initiatives worldwide, especially in Israel/Palestine, India and Colombia and developed together with them the Global Campus, an international peace education initiative. The Peace Village of San José de Apartadó has been for many years one of Tamera's deepest cooperations partners.

PETITIONES

1.      The Peace Village of San José de Apartadó  has suffered many forms of violence by the hands of the various armed elements, mainly by agents of the state and their paramilitary allies during the last twelve years. Many people have been murdered, have disappeared , been tortured,  unjustly jailed , displaced, threatened and their possessions have been destroyed.

 The  undersigned strongly urge the Colombian Government to bring this persecution to an end .

2.      Slander campaigns have been initiated against the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó  at various times during the last twelve years mostly as a preamble to lethal attacks, some of them conducted from the top of Government.  In these past few months the Colombian Army has used an ex leader deserter from the guerrilla to spread numerous falsehoods through the mass media, attacking its main leaders and its friends, presenting the Peace Community as a front for the guerrilla, referring to enormous sums of money that have never existed, and portraying the  living experience at the Community as a concentration camp.  The Community has responded to this lies point by point but the mass media continue broadcasting the version of the deserter.  You may see the details of the Community’s reply at http://cdpsanjose.org/?q=node/133 - El Colapso Ético de la Justicia.

The undersigned strongly urge the Colombian Government and the mass media to publicly rectify such falsehoods and to stop the Slander Campaign.

3.   The General Attorney’s Office announced this past May that hundreds of people in the opposition had been illegally spied on by the DAS, the Colombian secret service.  Among them where officers of the Justice Administration, members of  the Government, members of NGO’s, peace activists and also ten members of the Peace Community San José de Apartadó.  This espionage was illegally conducted according to the very documents  that have seen the light and was meant to sabotage the activities of the Community and to create pretexts for the initiation of legal cases against members of the Community.

The undersigned strongly urge the Colombian Government  that in compliance with article 15 of the Colombian Constitution the Community be permitted to know all of the documents that have been prepared against it and that the authors of this illegal espionage be brought to justice.

4.   Lastly we have evidence that hundreds of crimes committed against the Peace Community  and people in support have not been prosecuted.  Many members of the Peace Community and  people close to the Community have been victims of unjust prosecution and judicial fabrications  (see detailed document at http://cdpsanjose.org/?q=node/107  Derecho de Petición a las altas Cortes Colombianas del 19.2.2009)

The undersigned strongly urge the Colombian Government and the High Courts  of the State to accept the Community’s petition for the creation of a Commission of Evaluation of the Justice Administration in the area of Urabá.