Assassination Attempt Narrowly Fails
News from Colombia |
on: Sunday, 12 August 2012
The leadership of the regional CUT in Caldas has reported an assassination attempt committed against two of their members. Oscar Arturo Oruzco and Wilson Jaramillo, the President and the General Secretary of the CUT in Caldas respectively had previously received several death threats.
One death threat came in letters cut from newspapers, another with photographs of bullets. On August 4th the two were in their protection vehicle on their way to a meeting when it came under automatic gunfire, with only the swift reactions of the driver enabling them to escape.
The attack occurred at the same time as the Colombian government has cut funding to the protection programmes of trade unionists and human rights defenders, exposing them to the risk of attack even further.
The TUC has written a letter to the Colombian Ambassador about it (right).
