Britain's government makes deals with Colombia despite human rights abuses
Britain's government makes deals with Colombia despite human rights abuses
Political candidates and trade unionists are on paramilitary hit lists in Colombia – yet ministers speak only of business opportunities
Ellie Mae O'Hagan
theguardian.com, Tuesday 4 February 2014 08.35 EST
Yesterday afternoon, Nick Clegg was addressing a seminar titled Business is Great in Bogotá, as part of the biggest ever British trade delegation to Colombia. He was accompanied by representatives of more than 40 businesses, including HSBC, Rolls-Royce and Shell, as well as delegates from Dundee, Edinburgh and Warwick universities.
As Clegg was telling delegates how happy he was to be there, I was reading a communique from a Colombian paramilitary cell, which was sent to me by activists I met during a visit to Colombia last July. It read: "We have now been given the explicit and definitive order to kill the candidates for the Patriotic Union (UP) for Senate and House of Representatives."
The Patriotic Union is a political party that has just regrouped after having had more than 3,000 activists murdered by paramilitaries and the military in the 1980s and 90s, including two presidential candidates. The communique also lists leaders from the Patriotic March, Colombia's emerging grassroots movement. Most Patriotic March leaders are activists in civil society organisations, such as trade unions, community groups and universities. The communique offers rewards, depending on how important each target is considered to be: the Patriotic Union's political candidates are worth COP50,000,000 (£15,000), regional leaders of the Patriotic March are worth between COP20,000,000 (£6,000) and COP35,000,000 (£10,500). A friend of mine, student leader David Florez, was among those listed.
While Clegg is in Colombia, he won't be meeting any of the political candidates or activists who are now targets. He won't be visiting La Picota prison, where activists Huber Ballesteros and Francisco Toloza are languishing in filthy conditions, charged with "rebellion". Clegg's itinerary is surprising, given that less than a fortnight ago Hugh Swire, the minister of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said: "It is simply not the case that we turn to one side and avert our gaze from what we regard as human rights violations in Colombia."
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/04/colombia-british-government-human-rights
(My emphasis.)
= new reply since forum marked as read
Perhaps they are following Obama's lead ???
Obama signed a trade deal with Colombia.
Money is money.
They do not care who is killed.
Obama says he supports unions, but his actions do not support that claim.
Hello Judi 
have supported Latin American leftists continually for so long, you'd think a Democratic President would be tuned in to that.
Screw them, apparently!
What a shame, isn't it, Sam?