A beautiful example of a letter generated by our UA Tiquisio

From: Mark M Giese
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:48:12 GMT
To: <auribe@presidencia.gov.co>
Cc: <russell_feingold@feingold.senate.gov>, <shannonta@state.gov>,
<AmbassadorB@state.gov>, <fsantos@presidencia.gov.co>,
<buzon1@presidencia.gov.co>, <Sergio.jaramillo@mindefensa.gov.co>,
<contacto@fiscalia.gov.co>, <denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co>,
<reygon@procuraduria.gov.co>, <cap@procuraduria.gov.co>,
<juan.gomez@mindefensa.gov.co>
Subject: Human rights

04/23/08

Presidencia de la República
Dr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Presidente de la República
auribe@presidencia.gov.co

Dear Mr President:

In a new email message, signed by ³Comandante Camilo,² the Northern Block of
the Black Eagles paramilitary organization has renewed its threats against
grass-roots community organizations and those who work with them in the
south of Bolivar Department. Among those singled out are Father Rafael
Gallego, Said Echavez and Martha Lucia Torres, who work in the mining
community of Tiquisio.

The threatening message accuses them, along with others, of belonging to and
supporting the FARC and the ELN guerrillas. The message indicates that the
Black Eagles will begin by murdering the named persons and continue until no
one of the so-called guerrilla supporters is left.

These threats are very serious, and follow threats issued a few days ago
against Father Gallego and others. We believe they are part of a campaign to
undermine local grass-roots community organizations in the gold-mining area
in and around Tiquisio. The multinational mining company Kedadha-Anglo Gold
Ashanti seeks to use this region, where small-scale peasant miners have
worked for many years, to carry out large-scale gold mining. The role of the
paramilitaries is to break up resisting community organizations and force
people off their lands in the interest of Anglo Gold development. The
government of President Uribe and the Colombian Army have fostered this
paramilitary activity. Therefore, no serious measures have been adopted by
the governmental authorities to locate those responsible for the
paramilitary threats and stop their illegal activities.

Please effectively protect the community organizations and their leaders, as
well as seeing that the paramilitaries are dismantled and their leaders
prosecuted.

Protect the lives and activities of those like Father Gallego, Said, and
Martha who have committed themselves to seeking justice for the peasants in
the south of Bolivar.

In light of possible human rights violations, by copy of this letter, I am
instructing my government's representatives to review the merit of any aid
or assistance from the U.S. that your country is receiving or is being
considered for receipt of in line with the United States Foreign Assistance
Act of 1961 (PL 87-195), Sec. 116. It is my understanding that human rights
violations make such aid illegal.

Thank you and for human rights in my own country and peace,

Mark M Giese

CC:
Senator Russ Feingold, Senator Kohl, Representative Ryan
Sens. Feingold, Kohl, Rep. P. Ryan
russell_feingold@feingold.senate.gov
CASC

Thomas Shannon
Assistant Secretary Western Hemisphere
shannonta@state.gov

Ambassador William Brownfield
AmbassadorB@state.gov

Vicepresidencia de la República
Dr. Francisco Santos,
E-mail: fsantos@presidencia.gov.co, buzon1@presidencia.gov.co

Vice- Minister of Defense
Sergio Jaramillo
Sergio.jaramillo@mindefensa.gov.co

Fiscalía General de la Nación
Dr. Mario Hernán Iguarán Arana.
E-mail: contacto@fiscalia.gov.co, denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co

Procuraduría General de la Nación
Dr. Edgardo José Maya Villazón.
E.mail: reygon@procuraduria.gov.co, cap@procuraduria.gov.co,
quejas@procuraduria.gov.co

Human Rights Office of the Colombian Army
Coronel Juan Carlos Gomez Ramirez Director
E.mail: juan.gomez@mindefensa.gov.co