Urgent action: A Fifth FENSUAGRO activist arrested!
News from Colombia |
on: Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Last week many of you signed our urgent action regarding the four FENSUAGRO agricultural trade union activists who have been arrested in Putumayo and accused of ‘rebellion.’ We have now received news that a fifth trade unionist and member of FENSUAGRO has been arrested on the same charges.
Climaco de la Cruz Rodriguez is vice-president of the El Progreso Foundation and a member of FENSUAGRO’s National Executive. He was arrested at home on July 30th at 8.30am, accused of ‘rebellion.’
On the 22nd of June Colombian authorities arrested 4 other FENSUAGRO members in Putumayo, accusing them of rebellion, narcotrafficking and terrorism. This kind of accusation is typical of those levelled by the government at trade unionists - in countless past cases the accusations have been dropped for lack of evidence. Social organisations in Putumayo are reporting that these arrests are part of a government strategy to weaken the increasing social mobilisation that followed a human rights public hearing held in February 2011.
The four men, Alexis Antonio Arroyo, Eulogio Tapiero Galindo, Manuel Antonio Angure and Telmo Cuevo Tegue, were detained at 6.30pm in Puerto Leguizamo, Putumayo on the 22nd June. All four are members of the ASCAP Putumayo Agricultural Peasants Association, part of FENSUAGRO. Mr Telmo Cuevo Tegue has already been accused of rebellion and absolved in a previous case.
FENSUAGRO is also reporting that Nercy Lorena Castro, another member of its Executive Committee has been victim of harassment by the Colombian authorities. In the department of Sucre, threats have also been received against two of its members - Franklin Torres Ramos and Ingrid Vergara Chavez - the treasurer and human rights officer of ASOTRACDES, part of FENSUAGRO, in the region. Torres and Vergara are also leading activists in MOVICE, the National Movement of Victims, and have been receiving constant threats along with other activists in the region.
To protest against the arrest and detention of these four trade unionists and the threats against their colleagues in Sucre please sign this letter to the Colombian ambassador.
