Military abuses continue in El Colima

Thursday, April 14, 2011

[Interecclesial Commission for Justice and Peace]

(Translated by Susan Tritten, CSN Volunteer Translator. Edited by Teresa Welsh, a CSN Volunteer Editor.)

Harassment and intimidation against the human rights defender and African-American leader, GERALDINE BALANTA, and the destruction of 12 hectares of subsistence crops, belonging to Afro-Colombians who live in the El Crucero community in the collective territory of Lower Calima, have been carried out by military forces attached to Brigade 2, Battalion 80.

These acts have combined with barriers to free access to community sites, where Afro-Colombians carry out their daily activities. These barriers protect the implementation of infrastructure projects known as the Sweet Water Project [Proyecto de Agua Dulce], which have not been adequately reviewed in compliance with international law, in particular Article 169 of the OIT [Oficina International del Trabajo-International Labor Office]. This has seriously affected the right of 119 families to survival, food, and property.

Interecclesial Commission for Justice and Peace

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