TELEPHONE DEATH THREAT MADE TO HUMAN RIGHTS NGO NOMADESC IN THEIR CALI OFFICE

Santiago de Cali, 6th January 2011

At 1.18pm on 6th January 2011, Maria Yinet Lozano (Nomadesc secretary) received a call on the office landline (local number 893 5308), in which a male voice said:

“Grass sons of bitches, we know where you are, we’re coming for you”

The caller used a constant beep on the line in order to hide their voice.

This is the 12^th threat that has been made against Nomadesc and other human rights organisations in Valle del Cauca and Cauca departments in the past year. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the Colombian authorities have made no progress in identifying who and where the text messages, calls, threats and harassment are coming from. Nor have they taken measures to protect those working for the defence of human rights in the region.

Human Rights Defender Martha Giraldo followed

The same afternoon, Martha Giraldo, of the National Movement of Victims of State Crimes (MOVICE), observed a man in worker’s overalls on a high-powered motor bike, and a white jeep with tinted windows, outside her house for about 3 hours. When the bodyguards who accompany Martha approached the man on the motorbike and the white jeep to find out who the people were and what they wanted, both fled the scene immediately. The bodyguards are part of Martha’s protective security scheme from the Ministry of the Interior; they reported the incident to the homeland security agency DAS (Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad).

What can you do?

• Please write to the Colombian government as soon as possible to demand a full investigation to establish as soon as possible who is responsible for the threats, and to bring them to justice (see below for Colombian government contact details)

• Please demand that the Colombian government take immediate action to protect the lives of all those being threatened, and those of their families.

• Please demand that the Colombian government do all in its power to protect the work of human rights defenders in Valle del Cauca and Cauca.

• Please demand that the Colombian government put an end to the human rights violations occurring in this area.

Asociación para la Investigación y Acción Social –NOMADESC-

MOVICE- Capitulo Valle del Cauca

Fundación Comité de Solidaridad con los Presos Políticos- Seccional Valle del Cauca –CSPP-

SINTRAUNICOL Subdirectiva Cali

Red de Hermandad y Solidaridad con Colombia-

Nodo Valle del Cauca

Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible

Please send your urgent actions to the relevant Colombian Embassy, in the UK this is: MAURICIO RODRIGUEZ Embassy of Colombia at email: elondres@cancilleria.gov.co

mail@colombianembassy.co.uk

Government offices:

JUAN MANUEL SANTOS CALDERÓN
Presidente de la República
Carrera 8 No. 7 -26 Palacio de Nariño Bogotá
Fax. 00571 5662071

ANGELINO GARZÓN
Vicepresidente de la República
Carrera 8 No.7-57 Bogotá D.C.

RODRIGO RIVERA
Ministro de la Defensa
Avenida El dorado con carrera 52 CAN Bogotá D.C.
siden@mindefensa.gov.co
infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co
mdn@cable.net.co

GERMÁN VARGAS LLERAS 
Ministro del Interior y de Justicia
Avenida El dorado con carrera 52 CAN Bogotá D.C.
Fax. 00571 2221874
ministro@minjusticia.gov.co

VIVIÁN MORALES
Fiscal General de la Nación
Diagonal 22B No. 52-01 Bogotá D.C.
Fax. 00571 570 20 00
contacto@fiscalia.gov.co
denuncie@fiscalia.gov.co

WOLMAR ANTONIO PEREZ ORTIZ
Defensor del Pueblo
Calle 55 No. 10 – 32 Bogotá D.C.
Fax. 00571 640 04 91
defensoria@defensoria.org.co
secretaria_privada@hotmail.com

ALEJANDRO ORDÓÑEZ
Procurador General de la Nación
Cra. 5 No.15 – 80F Bogotá D.C.

anticorrupción@presidencia.gov.co
reygon@procuraduría.gov.co