Condemning the Murder of Two Female Union Members in Cali
by Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli
February 22nd 2023,
We condemn the murder of two female union members of Sintraunicol in Cali and demand justice.
The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and Colombia Acuerdo de Paz NGO condemn the vile murder of two Universidad del Valle employees. The incident occurred this morning at the entrance to the Universidad del Valle’s Melendez campus located in the city of Cali. The victims, Gloria Mendoza and Maria Elena Mendiga, belonged to Sintraunicol, a trade union of public universities’ workers and employees. Both women were linked to the University for over 20 years. According to the union, in July 2022, one of the victims filed a criminal complaint after an unknown person went to her home in Siloé neighborhood and tried to kill her,” said Colonel William Quintero. On May 3, 2022, the Afro-Colombian Mauricio Fory Balanta, Universidad del Valle trade unionist affiliated with the Union of Mixed Public Workers and Public Employees (Sindicato Mixto de Trabajadores y Empleados Públicos de la Universidad del ValleSintraempuvalle), was murdered.
We demand that Colombia authorities take action to guarantee the safety of the remaining trade unionists from Sintraunicol and Universidad del Valle, that this crime is investigated and that the intellectual and material authors are brought to justice. One of the conditions for moving forward with the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement was the commitment to advance the U.S.-Colombia Labor Action Plan that seeks to prevent assassinations of trade unionists and justice in cases of assassinations of trade unionists. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota and the U.S. Department of Labor must take steps to ensure justice in these cases, protection for threatened trade unionists, and work with the Colombian government to ensure that there is a safe and non-retaliatory civic space for trade unionism in Cali. Actions on this issue should be differentiated taking into account the specificities associated with gender and Afrodescendant persons.
https://www.wola.org/2023/03/condemning-murder-two-female-union-members-cali/
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Older article, found looking for an image of the campus:
Condemn the use of violence on the Meléndez campus
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Friday, November 27, 2015
Univalle News Agency
While the Center for Research and Innovation in Bioinformatics and Photonics of the Universidad del Valle was being launched - a long-term research program that promotes interaction between different areas of knowledge of basic sciences and engineering that will generate knowledge for better care of the environment environment- and when hundreds of professionals from different countries of the world were working on the construction of social housing that will work with solar energy or the so-called Solar Decathlon, a group of hooded men used the devices known as explosive potatoes, confronted the Public Force , generated disorder and endangered the physical integrity of the university community, affected by the use of said devices and tear gas.
The University is above all a center of culture, production of knowledge, construction of peace and defense of high democratic values. Nothing more contrary to this character of the Alma Mater than the use of violence that these small groups of hooded men commit. Therefore, the University Management emphatically rejects the events that occurred today, November 26, and calls on the university community to firmly join this rejection.
The University has been affected by the HUV crisis, which has generated a student movement in defense of the Hospital, which has distinguished itself for its democratic, peaceful and imaginative character. The University Administration has shared the noble ideals of the students' struggle and has done everything possible to contribute to the solution of said crisis. The use of violence and the production of chaos that the hooded minority makes again are also contrary to the democratic spirit of the student movement and attempt against the solution of the HUV crisis.
No more use of explosive devices on the Ciudad de Universitaria Campus
No more use of violence at the Universidad del Valle
The University is above all a center of peace and thought.
By the University Directorate
https://www.univalle.edu.co/universidad-y-region/condena-al-uso-de-la-violencia-en-campus-melendez