MOVICE denounces the murder of Oscar Maussa, a leader in the restitution of stolen land in Uraba

(Translated by Rich Henighan, a CSN Volunteer Translator. Edited by Teresa Welsh, CSN's Volunteer Editor.)

 

MOVICE (The National Movement of the Victims of State Crimes) denounces the assassination of  Óscar Manuel Maussa Contreras who actively participated in different national roles in MOVICE as the delegate of Chocó Chapter.

 

The Facts

Óscar Manuel Maussa Contreras, a leader in the restitution of land and one of the directors of the Blanquicet Farm Workers' Cooperative (Cootragroblan) in the district of Turbo, in Antioquia, was murdered this past November 24 on the Cañito trail in the municipality of Nepomuceno in Bolívar. Óscar Maussa was killed by a strong blow to his head while he was tied to a tree. The autopsy showed he'd been struck around 7 PM, but didn't die until about five hours later.

 

The Background

Between 1996 and 1998 numerous families from the district of Blanquicet in the municipality of Turbo in Antioquia were forcibly displaced by paramilitaries in order to appropriate their lands. Among these were the twelve member families of  Cootragroblan. On the May 23, 2005,  the Chigorodó District Court 72 ordered the restitution of the property called "Esperanza," to its legitimate owners, Cootragroblan. Nevertheless, the threats of the paramilitaries present in the area prevented the members of Cootragroblan from returning to their lands.

 

On September 1, 2006, the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights (CIDH) ruled on behalf of the Maussa, Rodriques, Bravo-Pertuz, and Tordecilla-Cordero families, members of Cootragroblan, who, for starting the legal case to restore their property, were under threat of retaliation by the paramilitaries who held their lands.

 

On October 6, 2007 in the municipality of Turbo in Antioquia, Óscar Maussa was threatened with death by the paramilitary known as " Julio Ospino," a member of the paramilitary network, operating in the region of Urabá under various names, "Rebirth," "Living Together," "Black Eagle,s" and "Social Self Defense." Because of this, he found himself forced again to move outside of Antioquian Urabá.

 

As a result of the legal proceedings that Óscar Maussa opened by his statements, on October 5, 2010,  Court 36 of the National Assembly for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Rights, sitting in Medellín, ordered the preventive detention of  Ramiro Enrique Álvarez Porras, alias "Napo" or "Mobil 8," named as a leader of those engaged in a criminal conspiracy consisting of paramilitarism, the invasion of lands and buildings, and the forcible displacement of their owners.

 

We demand:

-       That the Colombian State pledge to defend the families who belong to the Farm Workers' Cooperative of Blanquicet, and their rights to life, and to physical and psychological well-being.

-       That the Office of the Attorney-General publicly announce these facts and hold accountable those who are materially or intellectually responsible.

-       That the President of the Republic include in his Restitution of Lands Policy an effective protection program for the people who have been displaced.

-       That the Colombian State pledge to protect the MOVICE public events planned for December 3, 2010 in Sincelejo in Sucre.

-       National Movement of Victims of State Crimes       

 

November 29,2010

 

This translation may be reprinted as long as the content remains unaltered, and the source, author, and translator are cited.