InfoBrief - March 14, 2006

US Current Affairs and Media

• Members of Congress Ask State Department to Withhold Aid to Colombia Fifty-nine Members of Congress submitted a letter to the State Department last week, asking that it withhold certification of Colombia’s human rights record until reforms are made within Colombia’s military. The letter, drafted by Congressmen Sam Farr and James McGovern, cites several unresolved allegations of human rights violations on the part of the Colombian military as reason to withhold certification. Specifically, the representatives highlight to the inability of the Colombian government to fully investigate and prosecute the alleged perpetrators of violations such as the February massacre of eight members of the peace community of San José de Apartadó. Congressman Farr spoke to the importance of withholding certification from Colombia: "We do not want to flippantly cut military assistance to a country gripped by a decades-long struggle against insurgents and paramilitary groups. However, we cannot turn a blind eye to gross human rights violations. In order for Colombia to achieve a sustainable peace and the economic growth such a peace would bring, the Colombian military, and especially the 17th Brigade, must respect the rule of law and international human rights." Ann Vaughn, foreign policy aide to Congressman Farr, was pleased with the number of representatives who signed or gave support for the letter. “The grassroots effort on this letter was really amazing. The action alerts put out by several organizations compelled people to contact their representative and helped give this letter the support it needed.”
• State Department Releases 2005 Human Rights Practices Report for Colombia The State Department released its annual Report on Human Rights Practices in Colombia this week, citing the work of a number of non- and inter-governmental monitoring organizations. The report highlighted of cases of human rights violations committed by paramilitary, guerrilla, and state security forces in 2005. Insubordinate military collaboration with paramilitary groups, impunity, corruption, arbitrary arrest, and inadequate prisons were a few of the “societal problems” reported by citizens and human rights monitors. The report also found that the government and NGOs have produced different “evaluations and analyses of the human rights situation, which led to profound mutual suspicions.” NGOs have repeatedly claimed “that high level criticism put them at risk for retaliation by illegal armed groups.” This led to a determination from the Constitutional Court that President Uribe “should avoid statements that put human rights workers at risk.” In addition to analyzing the armed conflict, the report also provided information on the rights of workers, women, children, and minorities, including indigenous and Afro-Colombian groups. Read the State Department's 2005 Human Rights Report on Colombia.

Upcoming Events in the US

• Building Peace from the Ground Up: How U.S. and Colombian Churches are Working Together for Peace in Colombia Lutheran World Relief, the U.S. Office on Colombia, The Jesuit Refugee Service USA, and the Ecumenical/IDP Working Group are pleased to invite you to a roundtable discussion Thursday, March 23, 2006 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 m. 1616 P Street, NW, conference room7th Floor Washington, D.C. 20036 Three courageous Colombian religious leaders of the Churches Sanctuary of Peace Movement that are partnering with U.S. “Sal y Luz” communities will be part of this interesting debate. The Sal y Luz project partners six communities of faith in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota with Colombia's courageous Peace Sanctuary Churches. "Sal y Luz" means "salt and light." This is what the Peace Sanctuary Churches aspire to be: places of refuge and hope in a country ravaged by five decades of violence. Many congregations have declared themselves Peace Sanctuary Churches. These congregations boldly pursue peace, feed the hungry, shelter the displaced, establish new economies, and open dialogues to reconcile relationships. While these Peace Sanctuary Churches have achieved astonishing successes in building peace, little is known about their experiences outside of the local areas where they take place. Through this partnership with communities of faith in the Upper Midwest, the Peace Sanctuary Churches seek to document the lessons learned over their years of peacebuilding experience. Three Churches in Colombia's Atlantic Coast region are now engaged in an intensive process of documenting their achievements, to share the good news that peace is truly possible in Colombia." Simultaneous Spanish/English translation will be provided. To RSVP contact Amy Oehlschlaeger at 202-547-6244 or at AOehlschlaeger@lwr.org.