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President Uribe of Colombia:
Grave concerns about about the life and
personal safety of Lilia Solano Ramirez and her sons
December 7, 2005
December 7, 2005
Dr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez,
Presidencia de la República
Cra. 8 No..7-26, Palacio de Nariño,
Bogotá, D.C.
Fax: (+57 1) 566.20.71
Dear President Uribe,
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, a coalition of
churches and religious organizations in Canada with a long history
of accompanying human rights organizations in Colombia, is extremely
concerned about the life and personal safety of Lilia Solano
Ramirez and her sons. Ms. Solano is director of the church-based
human rights organization, Proyecto Justicia y Vida, a KAIROS
partner. She is also a candidate for parliament in the upcoming
elections in Colombia in 2006.
On December 4, three armed strangers, two men and one woman, entered
Ms. Solano’s apartment posing as police and threatening her
son who was alone at the time. They tied him up, pointed a gun to
his head, taped his mouth shut and locked him up in a room, while
they ransacked the house. They stole the family’s computer
hard-drive, two cellular phones, and went through all the documents
in the house.
Lilia Solano is well known to KAIROS and the Canadian churches.
She has met with the Canadian government on a number of occasions.
During her last visit to Canada in February 2005, she stood as a
witness before the Sub-Committee on Human Rights and International
Development of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International
Trade, a committee of Canadian parliamentarians.
The latest threats against Ms. Solano and her sons demonstrate
the Colombian government’s continuing inability to guarantee
the safety of human rights defenders and opposition candidates in
the upcoming elections, as well as their families. Last year, Ms.
Solano received death threats resulting from her work with the Movement
of Victims of Human Rights abuses including her public criticism
of the government’s demobilization process with the paramilitary.
As a result of those threats, Ms. Solano was promised protection
from the Colombian state. The latest intimidation of Ms. Solano
demonstrates the paramilitary’s continuing sense of impunity
to terrorize those who oppose them, including people working towards
democratic alternatives to the present situation in Colombia.
KAIROS believes that the lives and safety of Lilia Solano and her
sons are in danger. Given this situation, we urgently call on the
Colombian government to:
- Conduct a thorough investigation into this crime and capture
those responsible.
- Guarantee the safety of Lilia Solano and her sons and the rights
of all human rights defenders to carry out their legitimate work
without fear of threats or attacks.
- Guarantee the right of freedom of expression within the electoral
campaign and the safety of all candidates.
We anxiously await your response.
Yours sincerely,
Mary Corkery
Executive Director
| Cc |
Dr. Francisco Santos, Vicepresidencia de
la República
E-mail:fsantos@presidencia.gov.co
Dr. Edgardo José Maya Villazón, Procuraduría
General de la Nación Fax: (+57 1)342.97.23
Dr.Carlos Franco, Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos
y de Derecho Internacional Humanitario.
FAX: (+57 1) 337.46.67
Dr. Volmar Antonio Pérez Ortiz, Defensoría
del Pueblo
Fax: (+571) 640 04 91
Dr Michael Frühling, Oficina en Colombia del Alto
Comisionado de Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos
Fax (57-1) 629 3637
Mathew Levin, Canadian Ambassador to Colombia,
fax: 571-657-9910
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