Thousands of Protesting Colombian Farmers Request Asylum in Venezuela, Maduro Meets with Santos
Thousands of Protesting Colombian Farmers Request Asylum in Venezuela, Maduro Meets with Santos
Colombian Farmers Request Asylum
By Tamara Pearson
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Fearing state repression, farmers in the Cataumbo region of Colombia, on the border with Venezuela, have formally requested asylum in Venezuela, and are already being attended. At the same time Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro met with Colombian president Juan Santos in order to restore relations between the two countries.
Farmers in the Ascamcat organisation (Rural Workers’ Association of Catatumbo) wrote a public letter, dated 21 June, to Maduro requesting refuge. They have been protesting and blocking roads since 10 June in response to a campaign to forcefully eradicate coca cultivation in their area, and fear military reprisals.
Santos recently stated that he wouldn’t tolerate the road blocks any more, saying that “protecting life, tranquillity and Colombian mobility [in transport] comes above anything else”. He also called on the farmers to end their strike, saying there was “no reason to continue it”. But the farmers have said they will only end the road blocks and protests “on the condition that the Colombian government commits to ... declaring a Farmers’ Reserve Zone in Catatumbo and provides an allowance to the victims of the violent eradication of coca crops”. A reserve zone is a protected area under Colombian law.
Ascamcat requested that Maduro provide them with “international humanitarian refuge” in Venezuelan territory. Telesur's Colombian based correspondent Vladimir Carrillo said that the request was made due to concern that the Colombian police will evict the farmers. So far four farmers have been killed and over 100 injured in the Catatumbo protests, and a further four are in jail. Ascamcat reports that over 6,000 farmers will maintain the mobilisation and road blocks.
More:
http://www.zcommunications.org/thousands-of-protesting-colombian-farmers-request-asylum-in-venezuela-maduro-meets-with-santos-by-tamara-pearson
