Death threats against human rights organisations and HRDs

On 28 and 27 February 2012, human rights organisations including Corporación Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo - CCAJAR (“José Alvear Restrepo” Lawyers' Collective) and the Movimiento Nacional de Víctimas de Estado - MOVICE (National Movement of Victims of State Crimes) were subjected to death threats. These threats come as preparations are under way for a demonstration to be held on 6 March 2012 to mark the National and International Day of Victims of State Crimes, in support of victims of human rights violations and in demand of land restitution.

On 28 February 2012, a leaflet signed by “Águilas Negras Bloque Capital” (Black Eagles Capital Bloc) was sent to the offices of CCAJAR. The leaflet contained a death threat that was directed specifically at women human rights defenders and their organisations saying: “Sentencia a la pena de muerte a las perras guerrilleras de las farc las cuales se openen a las políticas de nuestro gobierno y que hacen lavado de cerebro a los desplazados haciéndose pasar por lideres defensores de derechos humanos y dejen de joder con el tema de reparación de tierras porque todo el que haga esta gestión va a ser asesinado por nosotros” (A death sentence on [female] FARC guerrillas who oppose the policies of our government and are brainwashing displaced people acting as if they were human rights defenders and stop getting involved with the issue of land reparations because we will kill anyone who gets involved in that). Those named in the letter included ACNUR - the UN Refugee Agency, Casa Mujer, Ruta Pacífica, Fundhefem, Arco Iris, Sisma Mujer, Afromupaz, Codhes, MOVICE, the UN Development Programme - PNUD, Afrodes, Juntos por la Vida and Marcha Indígena as well as another 15 people including Ms Piedad Córdoba, a member of CCAJAR, Mr Iván Cepeda, and Mr Gustavo Petro.

On 27 February 2012 a manila envelope containing a death threat from a group who identified themselves as “Comandos Urbanos Los Rastrojos” (the Rastrojos Urban Command) arrived at the offices of CCAJAR. The letter was directed at a number of human rights organisations and individuals including MOVICE, CCAJAR, Comité de Solidaridad con los Presos Políticos, Corporación Ayuda Humanitaria (Antioquia), la Asociación de Desplazados de Antioquia O.P.D. (ASODOP), a director of the organisation Afroamérica XXI, Ms Rosalba Castillo Viveros, the director of Federación General de Trabajadores del Valle del Cauca (FEGTRAVALLE), Mr Alberto Guzmán Gómez, the former Director of Fundación Casa de la Juventud de la Comuna 16 en Cali, Mr Jair Hernández Barona, the President of Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT) of the Valle del Cauca section, Mr Álvaro Vega, ex-Deputy of the Departmental Assembly of Cauca, Mr Sigifredo López Tobón, the director of la Asociación Nacional de Trabajadores Hospitalarios de Colombia (ANTHOC), Mr Absalón Meneses Benavides, ex-Congresswoman María Isabel Urrutia Ocoró, Senator Alexander López Maya, ex-Senator Wilsón Borja Díaz and Senator Jorge Enrique Robledo.

The message declared the named persons and organisations to be military targets and ended by warning all those on the list that: “Los COMANDOS URBANOS LOS RASTROJOS ya tienen la orden de ejecutar la limpieza social en las regiones de nuestra influencia” (the Rastrojos Urban Comand has received the order to carry out social cleansing in the regions of our influence).

According to the authors of the threats, they are the result of a long intelligence operation of infiltration and extraction of information, from politicians, human rights organisations, trade unionists and displaced persons.

Previously, on 21 February 2012, the Nariño branch of MOVICE, FUNDEPAZ and CPDH received a death threat from a group calling themselves the Grupo Anti-restitución - Nariño (Anti-restitution group of Nariño), in which they were declared to be military targets.

Front Line Defenders believes that the death threats directed at the aforementioned human rights organisations and their members are directly related to their human rights activities Front Line Defenders is seriously concerned for their physical and psychological integrity, particularly in light of the planned demonstration that will be held on 6 March 2012 to mark the National and International Day of Victims of State Crimes. Given the fact that Colombia continues to record some of the highest levels of attacks on human rights defenders, including killings, as well as alleged links between right-wing paramilitary groups and the security agencies of the State, Front Line Defenders reiterates that immediate measures must be taken to protect those who remain at risk as a result of death threats.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Colombia to:

1. Carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation in to the aforementioned threats sent to the offices of CCAJAR with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards;

2.Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of members of the aforementioned human rights organisations;

3. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Colombia are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.