Colombia solidarity activists harassed
19 February 2010
In recent months, there had been unprecedented harassment and persecution of solidarity activists internationally who have shown support to the political struggles of the Colombian people.
This international campaign began soon after the March 2008 murder of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) leader Raul Reyes and the illegal seizure of information from a “magic laptop” that somehow did not get destroyed after heavy bombing.
Law specialists, including INTERPOL, have questioned the legitimacy of such a source of information.
In any case, that information has been used for interrogating academics, journalists, human rights advocates, unionists and solidarity activists, in an attempt to simplistically link social consciousness, political activism or solidarity with “terrorist activity”.
Colombian intellectuals have been jailed. On August 2008, film-maker and human rights defender Liliany Obando (who toured Australia on two occasions) was detained but is yet to be tried.
On May 2009, Professor Miguel Angel Beltran was illegally extradited from Mexico to Colombia, accused of being a “FARC intellectual” because of his criticism of the Colombian government.
These cases add to the more than 7500 political prisoners languishing in Colombian prisons.
Outside Colombia, several human rights advocates and solidarity activists have been interrogated or harassed. In Spain on July 2008, pacifist activist Maria Remedios Garcia was temporarily jailed in Spain for alleged links to the rebel organisation, and houses of Colombian activists in Switzerland were raided.
To date, the Colombian government has failed to provide evidence of such connections.
During 2008 and 2009, solidarity activists in Chile, Mexico and Peru were harassed with their pictures constantly appearing in the national media without any incriminatory evidence.
In January, American writer and Colombia solidarity activist James Jordan was escorted out of a plane and questioned by US Homeland Security officials about his solidarity work with Colombia.
More:
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2010/827/42529