Fwd: [tupocc] Hunting Season in Colombia

Hunting Season in Colombia

The Colombia Support Network (CSN) views with horror and consternation the recent killings of persons close to political leaders in Colombia. CSN mourns the losses of the lives of the following persons recently murdered:
-- Higinio Baquero, a bodyguard of Jahel Quiroga, the courageous attorney of Reiniciar who is pursuing court action on behalf of relatives of members of the Patriotic Union Party who were assassinated. Higmio Baquero himself was the son and grandson of Patriotic Union leaders who were murdered.
-- Jaime Gomez, advisor to Senator Piedad Cordoba;
-- Alvaro Garnica, an activist in the Polo Democratico Party and brother of the chief counselor for debates of Polo Democratico Presidential candidate, Senator Carlos Gaviria:
-- Liliana Gaviria, the only sister of former President and current chief of the Liberal Party Cesar Gaviria. Former President Gaviria had criticized the policies of President Alvaro Uribe Velez. Also killed in the attack on Ms. Gaviria was her bodyguard, Jose Fernando Velez.

These murders show that President Uribe's policy of so-called "democratic security" has not produced effective security. And now, with a Presidential campaign underway and the May 28 election day rapidly approaching, guarantees of safety for campaigning candidates are very seriously lacking.

CSN denounces the murder of relatives, advisors, counselors, bodyguards, and campaign workers for candidates under the guise of common crimes, as these killings are made to appear as though they were the work of common criminals.

CSN sends its sincerest condolences to the Baquero, Gomez, Garnica, Gaviria and Velez families.

Please write to President Alvaro Uribe to urge him

1. To provide protection to candidates for public office and their campaign staffs and relatives and to investigate the killings and prosecute those responsible.

2,That you will consider him personally responsible for any more murders of political opponents of his government, their relatives, and campaign workers.

3 That you deplore the great risk his misplaced focus on military solutions to his country's problems has place upon millions of Colombians, with its concomitant cooperation of police and military officers with paramilitary leaders, including scandalous activities of the DAS (Colombia's F.B.I.) during the Uribe administration.

And please send copies of your letter to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, US Ambassador to Colombia William Wood and to your respective Members of Congress

President ALVARO URIBE-VELEZ : auribe@presidencia.gov.co
www.presidencia.gov.co (There is a box at the bottom that says "
Escribale al presidente" which means write to the president)

Secretary of State CONDOLEEZA RICE: www.state.gov

Ambassador WILLIAM WOOD : AmbassadorB@state.gov

Your respective Members of Congress


Colombia Support Network
P.O. Box 1505
Madison, WI 53701-1505
phone: (608) 257-8753
fax: (608) 255-6621
e-mail: csn@igc.org

http://www.colombiasupport.net