CPTnet
8 May 2007
COLOMBIA: Mining Leader Acuna released

On Saturday, 5 May 2007, Teofilo Acuna, president of the Agrominers'
Federation of the South of Bolivar, was released from prison ten days after
his arrest by officials of the Nueva Granada Battalion. [See 28 April CPTnet
release,
"COLOMBIA: Miners' Federation president arrested."] Key witnesses in the
case were former guerrilla soldiers working with the army. The Vanguardia
Liberal newspaper quoted Acuna's lawyer, Jorge Molano, as saying that the
"battalion [gave authorities] information that clearly shows these people
were prepared with military intelligence, contradictions in their
arguments were demonstrated, and this led the district attorney to find no
evidence to prolong the detention* this was a frame-up."

Molano called for an investigation into Acuna's arrest, saying, "we have
already asked the authorities to open an investigation against officials
of the armed forces that contributed to these accusations."

Acuna was arrested on the very day that he and other representatives of
grassroots groups of the South of Bolivar were to meet with high-level
officials of the national government in an ongoing dialogue on human
rights abuses and mining-related issues. Members of CPT accompanied him
to the Nueva Granada Battalion on the day of his arrest and the next day.
CPT has been accompanying the Commission for Dialogue and the Agrominers'
Federation since September 2006.

We thank all who prayed for Acuna during his imprisonment, and ask you to
continue to pray for the mining communities of the south of Bolivar and
their efforts to strengthen themselves and build peace. We also request
your prayers for commanders of the Colombian army, in particular the Nueva
Granada Battalion; ask that the spirit of justice and righteousness may
touch them.