Colombia: Violence against Colombian peasant organisations

Colombian peasants’ movements and organisations are suffering an escalation of violence inflicted by the state and paramilitary forces that has resulted in killings, detentions and  displacement of peasants, blacks and indigenous people. This wave of violence is a result of the call for a “secure and democratic policy” by the Álvaro Uribe Vélez government. The government has promoted massive detentions of peasants. In this process of punishing and  condemning, the state is violating the rights of the leaders of peasants, blacks and indigenous people. The Colombian authorities carry out campaigns to discredit and criminalise peasant organisations by associating them with subversion, in order to legitimise their brutal repression.    

With respect to this severe situation of violations of human rights, it is of outmost importance to pressurise the Colombian authorities to take urgent measures to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the peasants, the blacks and the indigenous communities of Colombia. Please send letters to the President of the Republic, with a copy to the Vice President. Please also send a copy to the Peasant Convergence of Black and Indigenous People,  la Convergencia Campesina, Negra e Indigena (CNI).