CPTnet
15 April 2011
BERLIN: CPT Europe public witness supports Las Pavas community’s return to its land

 On 25 March 2011, under an overcast sky, a group of CPTers walk slowly with heads bowed from the Wittenbergplatz U-Bahn station towards the Colombian embassy in Berlin, Germany. At the embassy, the group divided, with most of participants remaining in the entrance hall, performing a Beatitudes-based Lenten litany with the theme of embracing justice and hope amid the circumstances of land displacement and corporate greed.  Meanwhile, a smaller group walked upstairs to deliver a letter to the ambassadress. This letter, composed by CPT Colombia, highlights the history and current situation of the Las Pavas community.

 The public witness was staged as a part of the first regional convergence for European CPTers, in response to the request of CPT Colombia and the Las Pavas community itself that people stand in solidarity with them through prayer and action.

 After living in displacement for the better part of two years, Las Pavas community members decided to return to their land on Monday 4 April.   They took this bold step in spite of the obvious risk of further evictions and violence.  In the anticipation of their return, community members had engaged in talks with international embassies in Bogotá and prepared themselves for the possible repercussions of their return by participating in workshops on non-violent resistance and protective measures against police brutality.

 The Las Pavas community is a microcosm of the situation in its country, a nation with over five million displaced people.  Our hope and prayer is that the return of the Las Pavas community will be part of a new paradigm of justice for the displaced in Colombia and around the world

 The litany used by the vigil participants and other Lenten Palm Sunday prayers and action materials is available here. Find a recap of the situation and its origins here and a report on the return to the land by the Las Pavas community here.

 Note: At the time of this writing, the Colombian embassy in Berlin has yet to respond to the letter delivered by the CPTers.