CPTnet
14 July 2009
COLOMBIA:  Letters against assassinations in San Pablo needed by 17 July; applicants needed for delegation to Tiquisio


On 26 June 2009, a release from CPT Colombia urged constituents to write letters to the authorities in the municipality of San Pablo, where thirteen people have been assassinated and human rights workers have received death threats.  (See COLOMBIA URGENT ACTION: Evangelicals and Catholics march for peace in San Pablo; leaders request letters regarding assassinations)  The Colombia team and other human rights organizations are hoping to receive many more letters than they have received so far.  A CPT delegation will leave for San Pablo on 18 July 2009 and will bring the letters with them, so if you have not yet responded, please send a letter in the next two days, following the instructions of the previous Urgent Action.

Applicants are urgently needed for the 22 September-5 October 2009 Colombia delegation, which will focus on the region around Tiquisio.  Tiquisio lies at the foot of the northern tip of the Sierra de San Lucas – the mountain range in which most of the artisanal gold mines in south Bolívar are located.  After massive displacements, many residents have returned and have made great progress in community formation and development.  A heavy military presence in the area threatens the community process.  Recently the Pastoral Team in Tiquisio displaced because of paramilitary death threats, but the local catholic priest has since returned despite the threats.  Delegates will meet with grassroots organizations and learn about the struggles of building and maintaining community in the midst of armed conflict in which neither state nor illegal armed actors respect the community’s neutrality and autonomy.

For more information or to apply, contact CPT, PO Box 6508, Chicago, IL 60680; phone 773-277-0253; fax 773-277-0291; e-mail delegations [at] cpt [dot] org, or see CPT's website at: http://cpt.org/participate/delegation.