CPTnet
15 December 2005
COLOMBIA URGENT ACTION: Additional arrests threaten Micoahumado community
leaders
Arrests for "rebellion" of three residents of Micoahumado have provoked
concern that the Colombian government has embarked on a strategy to
undermine an initiative, called "the Sovereign Community Process," intended
to build peace from the ground up. Community members are concerned that
further arrests may be forthcoming. In response, they have appealed to
their support network developed in the past three years to assist those
arrested and to protect themselves from further destabilization.
On 8 October 2005, after troops of the Colombian army cordoned off the urban
area of Micoahumado, agents of the Fiscalía (investigative police under
the Attorney-General) arrested Isidro Alarcón, Elba María Galviz, and
Laura Cristina Canónigo. (See 11 October 2005 release, "Police arrest
leaders of Micoahumado Peace Community, try to confiscate CPTer's photo
documentation of the arrests.") Alarcón is in prison, and Galviz and
Canónigo under house arrest in Bucaramanga, about six hours away by bus
from Micoahumado. All have access to lawyers.
The community recognizes Alarcón in particular as a devoted member who has
worked hard for his community. CPT has worked with him over the three years
of its relationship with Micoahumado, and has seen the respect accorded to
him by community members. He told CPTer Jim Fitz who visited him in
prison, "It's not fun being here in jail, but I am not demoralized. I feel
I've done nothing wrong, and God will see me through."
Many in Micoahumado believe that the Fiscalía issued the arrest warrants
based on the word of an ex-commander from the guerrilla group National
Liberation Army (ELN) who recently deserted and is working with the
Colombian army unit based in the community. They speculate that he has
agreed to identify a certain number of people as guerrillas or guerrilla
supporters in exchange for better treatment.
In other parts of the country, Colombian authorities have arrested social
movement leaders, only to release them, sometimes years later, for lack of
evidence. In this context, fears about abuse by the Fiscalía run high.
Often soldiers make little effort to distinguish between those who may
differ from the ideological position of the government and those who are
involved in armed insurrection.
In a 2004 report, "A Laboratory of War: Repression and Violence in Arauca,"
Amnesty International wrote " --approval in Congress of a law that grants
judicial police powers to the armed forces is likely to facilitate the
already existing practice of launching often spurious criminal
investigations against human rights defenders and other civilians. These
tactics are designed to tarnish defenders and social activists by accusing
them of guerrilla activity, exposing them to heightened risk of violent
attack by paramilitaries, regardless of whether or not investigations
uncover evidence of criminal wrongdoing."
Residents of Micoahumado told CPTers that several leaders from their town
were held for twenty-two months ten years ago, and then released for lack of
evidence. Under the current administration, mass arrests of leaders of
social organizations and of communities have become more frequent. Since
the prospect of further arrests discourages people from working for the
social welfare of their communities, these communities and other
organizations are often left without experienced leadership.
In the past, guerrilla and paramilitary groups as well as the armed forces
have undermined the Micoahumado's right to self-determination and security
through belligerent actions. CPT has heard that in some cases, the
guerrillas imposed leaders upon the community. From 2000 on, combat
between paramilitaries invading the zone and guerrillas led to high civilian
casualties. Refusing to flee their homes, the citizens and communities
organized, enlisting the support of the church. By negotiating with the
armed actors, community representatives convinced them to leave the most
populated areas of the community, and thereby achieved a level of security
and autonomy. Today they consider their hard-won freedom to be in jeopardy.
In solidarity with Micoahumado's peace initiative and its right to security
and self-determination, CPT asks supporters to send courteous messages to
the officials listed below that
* Underline the importance of respecting the achievement of the people of
Micoahumado in carving out a democratic space, autonomous from armed actors.
* Caution officials that threats of further arrests undermine efforts to
build the community process.
* Call for a fair, transparent, and expeditious trial for Isidro Alarcón,
Elba María Galviz, and Laura Cristina Canónigo, or, lacking solid
evidence to support their detention, for their immediate release.
Sample letter:
Dear President Uribe:
By means of this letter, I would like to inform you of my concern for the
well-being of the Sovereign Community Process for Life, Justice, and Peace
in Micoahumado, Morales, Sur de Bolívar. This nationally- and
internationally recognized initiative by the people of Micoahumado to take
back control of their lives and their community from both guerrilla and
paramilitary forces deserves strong support. It provides an outstanding
example of the potential for building democracy and peace locally in the
midst of the armed conflict in Colombia.
On 8 October 2005, agents of the Fiscalía arrested Isidro Alarcón, Elba
María Galvis, and Laura Cristina Canónigo, members of the Community
Process, on charges of rebellion. The community has stated publicly that
Alarcón, in particular, is a key leader, who has devoted years of service
to the well-being of the community. I ask that you ensure that they are
accorded fair trials in an expeditious manner, or that, in the absence of
solid evidence to support their detentions, that they be released
immediately. Their families and their community need them.
Members of the community are concerned that the Fiscalía is considering
more arrests of their people based on testimony given by deserted members of
the guerrilla group the ELN. Given the unreliability of testimony offered
by people currently facing legal penalties, I ask that you ensure that the
Fiscalía is not being used as a channel to undermine the vitality of the
community's process. The people of Micoahumado deserve the chance to
strengthen their community without fear of being labeled as supporters of
one armed group or another.
Thank you for attention to my concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Please address your letters, faxes, or e-mails to
President of the Republic of Colombia
Señor Presidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez
Fax: + 57 1 342 0592 / 337 5890
(Salutation: Dear President Uribe/ Excmo. Sr. Presidente Uribe)
auribe@presidencia.gov.co
Fiscal General de la Nación
Mario Germán Iguarán Arana
Diagonal 22 B (Av. Luis Carlos Galán) No. 52-01
Bloque C Piso 4
5702000 - 419000 Ext. 2003-2004 - Fax 2017 Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
llermi.reina@fiscalia.gov.co
High Commissioner for Peace
Luis Carlos Restrepo
Fax: +57 1 560 9946
ozuluaga@presidencia.gov.co
Brigadier General Edgar Ceballos Mendoza
Commander Army 5th Brigade
Fax: +57 7 623 9239
Defensoría del Pueblo
Eduardo Cifuentes Muñoz
Fax: +57 1 346 1225
secretaria_privada@hotmail.com
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