gracias! y progress?

The past few weeks have been unrelenting in pace but, at times, hopeful in content. We have had a whirlwind of Colombian Senate, press, Embassy, police and Attorney General meetings in response to the June 2nd robbery at our house/office. Since FOR is the first international NGO to have an apaparently politically-motivated break-in, and since the timing of the beak-in dovetailed with Uribe's visit to the US lobbying for the support of the Free Trade Agreement, national and international organizations have taken notice in a way that has surprised us, and which we hope will make us, other international NGOs and the people we accompany safer. Click here to read about my alter ego, Yanisse Galagher's, response to the robbery in Spanish)

After this intense response, we were hoping to get back to the work we would like to concentrate on - working with Colombian peace organizations, supporting the peace community, and trying to improve US foreign policy towards Colombia. Instead, there was another break-in at an organization we work closely with. The offices of JustaPaz, which are about a 20-minute walk from our offices, were robbed. Again computers were taken and other valuables were left in plain sight. This same building also houses Witness for Peace, where most of my good friends in Colombia work, and which brings US delegations to Colombia to learn about US foreign policy here.

The computers taken from JustaPaz
contained sensitive information on people and churches that are active in work for peace and human dignity, and on people from churches that are victims and witnesses to human rights violations...The perpetrators passed by 9 other computers, telephones, a safe, etc., and removed two specific computers located at the other end of the office. They also broke into the desk of the coordinator for a program for protection of persons at risk. (For JustaPaz's complete statement, go to their website)

That this happened 12 days after our break-in is troubling. We had brought our last delegation to JustaPaz and have had contact with them since coming beginning the program, so this felt like another indirect attack on our work here, and against the people we all work with. Because of this, the letters people wrote to the Colombian Vice President's office and to the US Embassy are all the more important!! And they do make a difference - this week, we got a meeting with both offices which are usually hard, if not impossible, to get (OK, the VP's office cancelled at the last minute because he is traveling, but we will reschedule!). For those of you who wrote to the Embassy, you probably got this response
Dear Mr./Ms.xxx,
Thank you for writing.
?? Yes. That was it. No signature - nada. But we are meeting with human rights officials within the US government that we haven't before, and that is a result of the pressure that has been brought regarding this case and others. So thank you to all who wrote.

Conscientious Objector Hip Hop
This past weekend, Camila (my co-worker and superstar roommate) and I took a needed break from all the craziness and happenings in Bogotá here, and we headed to Cali, the salsa and party capital of Colombia to visit/accompany a hip hop group called Suporte Klan that we met at the Conscienctious Objectors conference in Medellin. They live in an AfroColombian community Villa Rica, about an hour outside Cali, and they do innovative skits about resisting participation in the war, US imperialism, and the lingering effects of racism in Colombia. The rap, really well, about pacifism, and have gained immense popularity in Colombia. And, to boot, they are good guys.

Vacation!
My sister comes today with her partner, and my parents come next week, to visit me in Colombia. I am beyond excited, and am looking forward to a break after a long, intense stretch of work. We are heading to the island paradise of San Andrés, closer to Nicaragua than Colombia, for some blissful beach time.

US Policy Update: From teammate AJ's blog
I was gooing to write abouit this, but AJ already did! Here is what's up:
More news from the land of the free indicates that the Foreign Affairs subcommittee of the House (the very same subcommittee I bemoaned in this here web space back in April) has decided to shift money away from Plan Colombia military aid and towards humanitarian aid. The house bill now contains a 55%-45% military-humanitarian aid split. Once taking into account the extra $150 million that goes to Colombian military aid out of the Defense Budget appropriations, that scores: Military Aid 65%, Humanitarian Aid 35%. Last year, also taking into account both the Foreign Ops and Defense appropriations, the military percentage was up at 83% and this year the administration requested 81% military aid. This seems a good time to reference the title of my blog. This is, I guess, some form of justice, limping very, very, very slowly. I remain skeptical and hesitate to call this piddling offering any kind of victory for human rights in Colombia.

For those of you back in the states, keep your ear to the ground as this legislation under the Foreign Aid Bill is set to hit the floor as early as today. Call or email your Representative and urge them to keep the 55-45 split intact. Republican Representatives are already rumored to be preparing a counter-amendment to rectify the perceived “imbalance”. In fact, my old pal, Dan Burton (R-IN), ranking republican of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee is at the front of the line, probably planning on introducing just such an amendment.

robbed

In the midst of our team retreat in paradisical Santa Fe de Antioquia this weekend, we got a call early Sunday morning that jarred us out of whatever tranquility we had found in the charming colonial town: our compañera Sarah called us from Bogotá to let us know that she had arrived at the house, and that all was not well.

She found the door to the apartment carefully splintered around the now-broken lock, and upon entering the apartment realized immediately that the two office computers had been taken, while curiously my passport and credit card had been laid carefully on my bed, almost as if on display. The television, the computer monitor, the fax and printer and other valuables were left, and at first we thought no valuables were taken...until we realized, curiously, that most of Camila's clothes and some US dollars were also stolen. All suitcases and smelly dirty clothes had been emptied throughout the house, and things were generally chaotic. Sarah related the scene to us, and we left our retreat immediately and headed home (we flew!).

This is scary for many reasons, primary of which is that it doesn't seem like just a normal robbery - they found and displayed valuables on my bed instead of taking them, they stole the things (computers) which clearly had the most information about FOR and our work, and they took a lot of care to steal very little of value - they disconnected the doorbell, took out the light bulbs from the hallway, and came at a time when almost no one was around the building...all presumably to lessen the possibility that they would be interrupted.

Because it appears that this was politically motivated, this has to have a political reaction. We, as FOR, need to respond in a way which shows whoever did this that there are large political costs to attacking an international human rights organization in this way.

So...what now? The theory behind our work here is that there is a large political cost to harming internationals, and specifically harming international human rights workers. Now is the time, then, to demonstrate that. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe arrives to the US tomorrow, and we want him to hear about this case during his visits with Congress people. We also want him to hear from US citizens that this type of attack on international human rights organizations is unacceptable.


So please, if you have a minute, send an email to Colombian Vice President and the US Embassy expressing
- your concern for the attack on FOR and for the security of the Colombian groups FOR accompanies;
- your desire for the authorities to carry out a prompt and complete investigation of the violation and to punish those responsible;
- the necessity of having the Colombian government publicly support the work of national and international human rights organizations in Colombia by issuing a presidential directive on human rights organizations (which would update an older, similar directive: Directive 7 of 2001 issued by President Andrés Pastrana.)

Their email addresses are:
Francisco Santos, Vice President of Colombia: fsantos@presidencia.gov.co
Milton Drucker, Chargé d' Affaires at the US Embassy in Colombia: AmbassadorB@state.gov

If you are a cut-and-paster, below are sample emails to each of them. These are two of the key contacts for FOR here in Colombia and therefore for improving ours and others' security, and receiving emails from everyone who reads this blog would really make a huge difference to our work here.

Thank you for your support...
Janice

To US Embassy:
Dear Milton Drucker,
I am writing to express my grave concern for the US-based Human Rights Organization FOR, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, which works to support human rights in Colombia. This past Saturday, June 2nd, their house/office was robbed in Bogotá. Although all burglaries are troubling, this one is particularly so because computers with sensitive information were taken, specifically about the work FOR does to support the peace community of San Jose de Apartado.

As a concerned US citizen and support of human rights, I would ask you to to urge the Colombian government to:
1) Do whatever possible to ensure the safety and respect for the work of FOR, their partner
organizations and the other national and international groups in Colombia who are working for human rights.
2) Carry out a thorough investigation into the FOR robbery.
3) Publicly support the work of national and international human rights organizations in Colombia by issuing a presidential directive on human rights organizations (which would update an older, similar directive: Directive 7 of 2001 issued by President Andrés Pastrana.)

Thank you for your attention in this matter,


To Francisco Santos:
Dear Vice President Santos,
I am writing to express my grave concern for the international Human Rights Organization FOR, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, which works to support human rights in Colombia. This past Saturday, June 2nd, their house/office was robbed in Bogotá. Although all burglaries are troubling, this one is particularly so because computers with sensitive information were taken, specifically about the work FOR does to support the peace community of San Jose de Apartado.

As a concerned US citizen and support of human rights,
I would ask you to:
1) Do whatever possible to ensure the safety and respect for the work of FOR, their partner
organizations and the other national and international groups in Colombia who are working for human rights.
2) To carry out a thorough investigation into the FOR robbery.
3) To publicly support the work of national and international human rights organizations in Colombia by issuing a presidential directive on human rights organizations (which would update an older, similar directive: Directive 7 of 2001 issued by President Andrés Pastrana.)

Thank you for your attention in this matter,


Here is FOR's statement:

Action Alert:
International Human Rights Group Records Stolen in Colombia

The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) denounces what appears to have been a politically motivated attack on its offices on June 2 in Bogotá, Colombia.

According to people who live in the same building as FOR, unknown persons forcibly entered the FOR house/office in Bogotá between 6 pm and 7 pm on June 2, breaking the lock and part of the door. The individuals stole the FOR’s two central computers that contain the organization’s records, including information on the accompaniment of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó. This community has been the target of attacks by the all the armed groups and is covered by protective measures issued by the Inter-American Court for Human Rights.

Recently, FOR has worked on delicate issues such as the murder of a member and ex-leader of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, Francisco Puerta; the use of demobilized combatants in army operations; and the presence of and threats by paramilitaries in the San José de Apartadó district. Additionally, given the documented collaboration between Colombian military and civilian officials at the highest levels and paramilitaries, FOR has led efforts to end United States military aid to the Colombian Army, and has been active in opposing the Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Colombia.

The individuals destroyed electronic equipment, including part of a satellite phone, stole clothing and cash but took out and did not steal a credit card and the passport of an FOR team members; as well as a television and other items of value that were in plain sight. In the days before the break-in, individuals had been observed watching the house on several occasions.

This incident constitutes a serious violation against an international human rights organization that gives protective unarmed accompaniment to threatened Colombians. The violation occurs in the context of threats against other human rights organizations working in Colombia, such as the Corporation for Juridical Liberty, which resulted in an urgent action alert issued by Amnesty International. Such a climate of intolerance is reflected in statements issued by Vice-President Francisco Santos at the Council of the Americas during his recent visit to Washington. According to the daily newspaper El Tiempo (May 25, 2007), the vice-president accused human rights organizations of being motivated by purely economic interests. The organizations refuse to recognize the Uribe administration’s efforts “perhaps because if they do the donor will withdraw large amounts of money. This is a business too and they would be without a job,” Santos said.

FOR continues its work of accompaniment of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, the Antioquia Peasant Association, the Youth Network of Medellín, and other Colombian groups that work for justice and peace using nonviolent means.

Click here for more info on who to contact, or here to see this in Spanish