HUMAN RIGHTS APPEAL: Letter in support of Luz Perly Córdoba
PREDA Foundation Inc.
Upper Kalaklan, Olongapo City, Philippines
12 April 2004
Dear Honourable Fiscal General De la nation,
In the world-wide media and on the internet the
arbitrary arrest and detention of Luz Perly Cordoba, Luz Perly Cordoba
Mosquera, Secretary General of FENSUAGRO-CUT, Juan de Jesus Gutierres
Ardila, Victor Enrique Amarillo, Nubia Vega and their colleagues is
questioned and appears to be wrong unjust and damaging to the image of
Columbia as a nation that upholds due process of law in a democratic
country.
The government’s campaign to crack down on the
legitimate activities of Human Rights workers and people’s organisations
is causing severe damage to the credibility of the administration of
President Alvaro Uribe Velez.
With all due respect
these police actions against the human rights workers seeking justice
and stability for the poor and victims of land seizures make the
respected president look like a potential tyrant instead of the national
leader that the Colombian people and the international community need
and want.
Such arrests an d
detention of human rights workers give political advantage to the rebels
and drug cartels who can use these arrests and detentions as propaganda
to advance their cause and erode the confidence and trust of the nation
and the International community in the Administration. These detentions
only serve to damage the image of Columbia as a nation that respects
Human rights.
Here in the Philippines the Non -Government and
government agencies are monitoring closely these events as they are
similar as to what happened in the Philippines where intolerance for
legitimate advocacy for human rights led to dictatorship and martial law
in the Philippines.
The International
Community and eventually the American people will not condone these
actions and will protest against their aid money being used to harass,
intimidate and falsely accuse human rights workers. Instead we suggest
you bring the Human Rights abuses committed by the armed forces to an
end.
Please respect the work of human rights workers,
do justice for them and release them. I and the many NGOs in our
coalition and people around the world appeal to you to make peace with
them and enable them work as partners to advance peace, justice and
human dignity in Columbia.
Shay Cullen, mssc
President
PREDA Foundation Inc.
Letters Sent to:
Presidente de la Repüblica de Colombia
Dr. Alvaro Uribe Velez
Palacio de Nari-o Carrera 8 No.7-26
Santafe de Bogota
Colombia
Vicepresidente de la Republica de Colombia
Francisco Santos Consejeria
Presidential de Derechos Humanos Calle 7, No 654
Piso 3
Santafe de Bogota
Colombia
Ministro del Interior y Justicia
Sabas Pretelt de la Vega
Ministerio del Interior y Justicia
Palacio Echeverri
Carrera 8a, No 8-09, piso 2o
Santafe de Bogota
Colombia
Fiscal General de la Nacion
Nivel Central - Bogot , D.C.
Diagonal 22B No. 52-01 (Ciudad Salitre)
Telfonos: Ę570 20 00 - 414 90 00
