Colombians march against kidnappings

[Zorro]

Source: AP

Well over a million Colombians, clad in white and cheering "No more kidnapping," marked their independence day on Sunday with marches and concerts demanding freedom for hostages still held by leftist rebels.

Demonstrators chanted "freedom" in rallies across the Andean nation and in some 40 cities abroad including Paris, London, Miami, Beijing, Sydney and New York.

It was the second nationwide mobilization this year against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and its abhorred policy of kidnapping for ransom or political leverage. Latin America's last major rebel army holds dozens of hostages in Colombian jungle jails, some for more than a decade.

Bogota's central Plaza Bolivar was jammed with marchers waving miniature white peace flags, balloons and Colombia's red, blue and yellow flag. A least 900,000 marched in the capital alone, said city police commander Gen. Rodolfo Palomino.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080720/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/colombia_hostages

[Arctic Dave]

1. Greetings TG. I hope they are going to have

a march later about no more killing unionist. However, I don't care what tha occasion is, if Shakira is there, I'm there. That girl has got it going on.

[Judi Lynn]

2. It's a wonder they never marched when entire villages were tortured to death,

or ripped apart with chainsaws, by the paramilitaries, sometimes with the assistance of the Colombian military.

I know I wonder.

[Judi Lynn]

3. You know, when they march, the paramilitaries don't kill their march organizers the way they do

when people protesting the death squads do, which happened in March, 2008, when Uribe started reviling the approaching anti-paramilitary march publicly, and their organizers started getting death threats, and then SIX of the leaders were murdered immediately.

It takes guts to march against the death squads.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Here's information about the anti-paramilitary marches held in the UK, about which our media gave us

bupkis!

Information about 6th March Vigils in UK
6 MARCH COLOMBIA DAY OF ACTION

Remember the victims of para-militarism, para-politics and the crimes of the State

FOR THE DISAPPEARED! FOR THE DISPLACED! FOR THE MASSACRED! FOR THE EXECUTED!

Around 4 million people have been displaced in Colombia , mostly by extreme right wing paramilitary groups. These groups, working either on their own or in coordination with the armed forces, have ‘disappeared’ at least 15,000 people. The corpses of 3,000 of these victims have been found in common graves, others were just thrown into the rivers.

More than 1,700 indigenous people have been assassinated, as have been 2,550 trade unionists, and around 5,000 members of the Unión Patriótica. Regularly, the paramilitaries torture the victims before killing them. The paramilitaries have carried out 3,500 massacres (where five or more victims are murdered) between 1982 and 2005. They have robbed more than six million hectares of land.

Since 2002 and their supposed ‘demobilisation’, the paramilitaries continue to assassinate 600 people each year. They have reached the point of controlling 35% of politicians elected to Parliament.

And since President Uribe’s election in 2002 members of the National Army have committed more than 950 executions, the majority presented as positive killings of guerrillas in combat, when really they are assassinations of civilians, kown as "false positives".

In January 2008 alone, the paramilitaries committed 2 massacres, 9 forced disappearances and 8 homicides, and the Army has committed 16 extra-judicial executions.

In Colombia , agents of the State and the paramilitaries violate human rights and humanitarian law. Many of the paramilitary groups have not been demobilised. They now call themselves the Black Eagles. Many para-politicians are still in public office and in posts in the diplomatic corps.

Common Graves - Never Again! Forced Displacement - Never Again!
Para-militaries - Never Again! Para-políticians - Never Again! State Crimes - Never Again!

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/information-about-6th-march-vigils-in-uk/

[Judi Lynn]

5. Translated remarks which were published in Colombia's 'El Espectador'

in the form of an open letter to Álvaro Uribe:

The dismissal of José Obdulio Gaviria
Iván Cepeda Castro
El Espectador 14 March 2008

In the next few days, with those individuals and organisations who would like to add their names, I will lodge the following petition.

Señor President of the Republic, the below signed citizens and organisations, in use of our constitutional right to address the authorities with respectful petitions, request the dismissal of your advisor José Obdulio Gaviria.

As you know, on March 6 hundreds of thousands of people participated in events in 102 cities in Colombia and around the world in solidarity with the victims of the paramilitaries and state crimes. By means of a public communiqué, the Government pointed out that it did not support this demonstration, but offered guarantees for the programmed events to take place. Nevertheless, Mr. Gaviria made public declarations that affirmed that neither you nor he would participate in a march “convened by the FARC.” In spite of the March 6 organizers’ request that these slanderous assertions be officially withdrawn, no government spokesperson did so.

This situation generated an atmosphere of increasing insecurity. On February 11, 2008, the day after Gaviria’s declaration, a pronouncement was made by the {paramilitary} Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia that also affirmed that the march was instigated by the guerrillas. Then, on February 13, threats started against organizations promoting a day of action in Nariño. On February 28, individuals shot at the apartment of Adriana González, a march organizer in Pereira.

Four trade union leaders have been assassinated in the week after the 6 March protests. Carlos Burbano, vice-president of the National Hospitalworkers Union was disappeared on 9 March in San Vicente del Caguán. He had led the local March 6 demonstration. His corpse was found at the municipal rubbish dump with his face disfigured by acid. In Caquetá the preparations for March 6 were frustrated when General Oscar Naranjo affirmed that a FARC leaflet calling for department-wide participation in the demonstrations had been found.

General Naranjo did not mention that the actual demonstration organizers had denounced parallel calls by armed groups. Women from Caquetá who were going to take in a national march of displaced people decided not to come because of the fear spread by the official announcement. Libardo Pedrozo, one of the organizers of the displaced people’s march, was threatened. On March 12, threats were made against 28 human rights defenders and several social organizations. These were signed by the group called the ‘Black Eagles’ that announced it “will be implacable” against the March 6 conveners.

All these circumstances demonstrate the continuity of the sinister actions of paramilitary structures and those who carry out state crimes. Their violent reaction owes to the massive citizens’ repudiation they received on March 6. But the government too has responsibility for this situation. The declarations made by José Obdulio Gaviria generated a propitious atmosphere for violence that has cost the lives of four trade unionists. We will initiate legal proceedings against him. Further, we ask you Mr President, to dismiss him: the initiation of violence is a serious crime.

http://www.cipcol.org/?p=563

~~~~~~~~~~~
There were two more killed after this was published, making SIX DEAD PROTEST ORGANIZERS zapped, and painfully, by the Colombian right-wing death squad monsters for excercising their right of free speech.

[Zorro]

6. Colombians demonstrate against FARC, and you try to hijack the thread

Colombians hate the FARC and its tactics.

It's readily apparent that that really bothers you. It can only be because it interferes with your pro-FARC agenda.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Yes, labeling people as "pro-FARCs." How endearing!

Reminds me so much of the dapper Joe McCarthy and his commie witch-hunt before he died of alcoholism.



Commie lover! er, uh, FARC-lover!