Colombia Urgent Action Reports.
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
S.O.S SINTRAEMCALI:
URGENT ACTION
ONCE AGAIN EMCALI WORKERS FALL
VICTIM TO BRUTAL ASSAULT BY STATE
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
5th of May 2004, Cali, Colombia.
Members of the Cali Municipal Workers Union SINTRAEMCALI, The Association for Social Action Research, NOMADESC and participating organisations in the “National and International Campaign against Privatisation, Corruption and the Criminalisation of Social Protest: FORBIDDEN TO FORGET” denounce before the National and International Community the brutal acts of police violence against workers at the EMCALI water and sewerage plant on the 5th of May 2004.
The Acts
Part of the agreement to the saving of EMCALI EICE ESP was the commitment to the Collective Convention, a participatory decision making assembly in which the workers and union are included. Yesterday it was handed over to the executive Committee excluding workers and the union. In response to the exclusion from the official process and aware of the direction in which the company will go without their input workers assembled at the water and sewerage plant on the Kr 15, Calle 59 at approximately 8.00am, Tuesday the 5th of May. They arrived both ready to work but also with the objective of analysing the implications of the hand-over of the Collective Convention and the loss of rights associated with it that have been achieved through long and arduous struggle.
Almost as soon as it had begun the open assembly was met with considerable contingent of the state law enforcement agencies comprising of members of the Mobile Anti (civil) Disturbance Squadron (ESMAD) and Military Police Force (PM). Officers rushed the workers in military fashion. Firearms were repeatedly unloaded at the crowd and into the streets generating an atmosphere of chaos and terrorising local residents including women children and old people of the Nueva Base Neighborhood. Bombs containing tear and pepper gas and a substance which causes itching and painful irritation of the skin (possibly Picana) were also employed similar to those employed on May Day. Shotguns were also used spraying small ball bearings into the crowd and injuring various workers including GUSTAVO TACUMA who was attacked in front of Public Ministry Officials who had arrived at the request of the workers in response to the police aggression to act as witnesses to the human rights abuses.
Members of the special police forces ESMAD and Military Police with no judicial warrant attempted to enter the building illegally by forced entry through the adjoining residential apartments of the Nueva Base. The attempt failed.
Most seriously, in the middle of the physical attacks and with out any explanation a Cali Metropolitan Police vehicle was positioned next to the plant from which the young occupants shouted insults at the workers. Simultaneously an explosion was set off by the ESMAD force leaving a number of the occupants of the vehicle wounded. According to the Police the vehicle was transporting young people with behavioral problems to a juvenile detention centre. The police superintendent in charge claimed in an abusive and defamatory statement that EMCALI workers had attacked the police transport vehicle that had been passing through area on routine business.
In view of the gross violations of National and international law committed on the part of State law enforcement agencies we urgently demand:
• That the Colombian government provide guarantees for the safety and security of Colombian Workers
• The respect of the fundamental constitutional rights to life, security, liberty of opinion, information, assembly, social protest and the right to form labour unions and as such that the Colombian Government comply with international agreements it has signed committing to respect of the above.
• That the Colombian Government make a declaration before the United Nations, the Organisation of American Status, The Diplomatic Bodies seated in Colombia and the International Organisation of Work so as to guarantee the protection of the human rights of the leaders and activists of SINTRAEMCALI.
• That the Colombian Government explain the reasons for the ongoing and systematic persecution of Union Leaders and activists in the Vale del Cauca.
Asociación Para la Investigación y Acción Social
NOMADESC
Sindicato de Trabajadores de Las Empresas Municipales de Cali
SINTRAEMCALI
Sindicato De Los Trabajadores Universitarios De Colombia
SINTRAUNICOL
La Unión Sindical Obrera
USO
Asociación para el Desarrollo Social Integral
ECATE
Central Unitaria De Los Trabajadores
CUT - VALLE DEL CAUCA
Corporación Servicios Profesionales Comunitarios
SEMBRAR
Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Minería en Colombia
SINTRAMINERCOL
Movimiento Estudiantil del Valle del Cauca y Nariño
Fundación Comité De Solidaridad Con Presos Políticos Seccional Valle del Cauca
Sintramunicipio Bugalagrande
Sintramunicipio Yumbo
Sintramunicipio Dagua
Sintrametal Yumbo
Organizaciones Barriales Juveniles Artísticas y
Populares de Santiago de Cali
Police attack on May Day Demonstrators, Cali.
URGENT ACTION
Cali. 01.05.04 11:00am
Participating Organisations, The Campaigns “Forbidden to Forget” and “So That The University can Live in Colombia”, The Human Rights Committee of the CUT, The Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners, Nomadsec and the Permanent Human Rights Committee Valle denounce before the National and International Community the violent attacks against demonstrators during the Commemoration of May Day demonstration by officers from the ESMAD (Anti-disturbance Squadron) in Santiago de Cali 2004.
Exercising their democratic right of dissent through public protest, demonstrators turned out in record numbers to oppose the privatisation of public services including education and health care and the criminalisation of social protest imposed by the neoliberal policies of President Alvaro Uribe Velez.
On more than five occasions during what was an otherwise peaceful protest officers from the special police force ESMAD (Anti-disturbance Squadron) employed CS and tear gas, pepper spray and used excessive force against demonstrators. The worst of such attack occurred at 12am on Calle 5, Carrera 34 outside the Parque de las Banderas.
In total seventeen people were injured, one, Duque Porras, was arbitrarily detained and one Andrés Guerrero disappeared according to information available at the time of this report. It is important to note that in flagrant violation national and international norms the ESMAD officers bore no marks of identification on their uniforms.
Injured:
Edward Portilla (Treasurer of the CUT - Valle) Contusion to the Arm.
Esteven GArcia (Activist in Sintraunicol) Injured with a fire arm.
Omar Alvarez (Asofamilias) Leg contusions.
Luis Fernando Rivera (Worker at the Alcantarillado of EMCALI) Body contusions
Javier Medina (Unemployed) contusions in the back.
William Escobar (Member of the Executive Committee CUT-Valle) Leg contusions and direct exposure to CS gas and pepper spray.
Harold Garcia (Director of the National Universidad of Palmira) Facial contusions.
Oscar Cardozo (Polo Democratico Independiente) Bruising to the back.
John Jairo Amaya (estudiante UNIVALLE) Body contusions.
Hector Fabio Osorio (Secretary of Sintrahospiclinicas) Taken to casualty, injuries as yet unknown.
Julián Elvira (Student at the University of VALLE) Body contusions.
Eladio Domínguez (Executive Committee CUT- Valle) Facial exposure to CS and pepper spray.
Rodrigo Escobar (Sintraemcali) Direct exposure to pepper spray.
Ever Cuadros (SUTEV) Hiematoma in a the leg.
Tacuma (Sintraemcali) Contusions in the leg.
Carlos Gonzalez (President of Sintraunicol Valle)
Liliana Mazuera (CDHP) Facial contusions.
Arbitrarily Detained:
Jaime Duque Porras (Worker in Telecom Services EMCALI EICE ESP and Sintraemcali Activist). At 12.15 as the march ended Jaime Duque left on foot from the Parque de las Banderas and went to have lunch with his wife, mother and children. At the restaurant they met a fiend, German Sandoval, who drove them to their home on Carerra 1a 9 No. 70-73, San Luis. As they arrived at the residence, four armed members of the Department of Administration of Security (D.A.S.) pulled up in a white van. After verbally and physically assaulting his wife, mother and children, and threatening them with firearms the DAS officers forced Mr. Porras into the van. He was then taken to the D.A.S. offices where he was arbitrarily detained and interrogated before finally being released in response to pressure from City and National human rights organisations.
Disappeared:
Andrés Guerrero (Unemployed)
We urgently demand:
• A rapid and thorough investigation to bring to justice the material and intellectual authors of the human rights abuses against participant in the May Day demonstrations
• That the Colombian Government and appropriate authorities provides sufficient guarantees for the respect of constitutional human rights such as the right to life, security, freedom of opinion, information, assembly, protest and the right to form trade unions.
• That the Colombian Government explain the reasons for the ongoing and systematic persecution of trade union leaders in Colombia
Please send messages articulating the above demands to:
Presidencia de la República Dr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez,
Cra. 8 No..7-26, Palacio de Nariño, Santa fe de Bogotá. Fax: (+57 1) 566.20.71
E-mail: auribe@presidencia.gov.co ;
[to send e-mail to Uribe login to http://www.presidencia.gov.co and click on
ESCRIBALE AL PRESIDENTE at the bottom of the page. Para enviar correo al Sr
Presidente, dirmjase a la pagina Web:http://www.presidencia.gov.co y haga clic
en ESCRIBALE AL PRESIDENTE ubicado en la parte inferior, al final de la
pagina.]
Vicepresidencia de la República Dr. Francisco Santos
E-mail:fsantos@presidencia.gov.co
Ministerio de Defensa Nacional Dr. Jorge Alberto Uribe
El Dorado con Carrera. 52 CAN, Santa fe de Bogotá.
Fax: (+57 1)222.18.74 E-mail: siden@mindefensa.gov.co,
infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co, mdn@cable.net.co,
Procuraduría General de la Nación Dr. Edgardo José Maya Villazón
Carrera 5 No. 15-80 Santa Fe de Bogotá.
Fax: (+57 1)342.97.23 E-mail: reygon@procuraduria.gov.co;
anticorrupcion@presidencia.gov.co
Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos y de Derecho Internacional
Humanitario. Dr. Carlos Franco
Calle 7 N° 5-54 TEL: (+571) 336.03.11 FAX: (+57 1) 337.46.67
E- mail: cefranco@presidencia.gov.co fibarra@presidencia.gov.co
Fiscalía General de la Nación Dr. Luis Camilo Osorio
Diagonal 22 B No.52-01 Santa fe de Bogotá.
Fax: (+571) 570 20 00 E-mail: contacto@fiscalia.gov.co;
denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co
Unidad de Derechos Humanos y de Derecho Internacional Humanitario
E - mail: elbsilva@fiscalia.gov.co
Defensoría del Pueblo Dr. Volmar Antonio Pérez Ortiz.
Calle 55 No. 10-32 Santa Fe de Bogotá.
Fax: (+571) 640 04 91 E-mail:secretaria_privada@hotmail.com
Misión Permanente de Colombia ante las Naciones Unidas en Ginebra.
Chemin du Champ d'Anier 17-19, 1209 Ginebra.
FAX: (+4122)791.07.87; (+4122)798.45.55 E-mail mission.colombia@ties.itu.int
With copies to:
Asociación para la Investigación y Acción Social Nomadesc
Calle 18 No 6-54 Cali Valle del Cauca Colombia E-mail: Nomadesc@latinmail.com
Campaña "Prohibido Olvidar" E-mail dhprohibidolvidar@yahoo.com
And, in the UK, to Colombian Embassy (UK): mail@colombianembassy.co.uk
With a copy to the Colombia Solidarity Campaign at colombia_sc@hotmail.com.
..........................................................
Asociación Para la Investigación y Acción Social
NOMADESC
Sindicato de Trabajadores de Las Empresas Municipales de Cali
SINTRAEMCALI
Sindicato De Los Trabajadores Universitarios De Colombia
SINTRAUNICOL
La Unión Sindical Obrera
USO
Corporación Servicios Profesionales Comunitarios
SEMBRAR
Central Unitaria De Los Trabajadores
CUT - VALLE DEL CAUCA
Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Minería en Colombia
