Urgent: Solidarity with the people of Colombia - Support the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal in Bogotá, Colombia July 21-23

[International Action Center]

    International Action Center <http://www.iacenter.org>

 
The International Action Center
issues urgent appeal for solidarity with the people of Colombia and to
support the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal in Bogotá, Colombia July 21-23

Join with the International Action Center and U.S./Cuba Labor Exchange 
on a fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations in 
Colombia and attend the Tribunal!

In the last 20 years, more than 4,000 unionists have been killed in 
Colombia. Four million people have been displaced from their homes due 
to a U.S.-backed war against the civilian population and the social 
movement. Progressive people, including journalists, human rights 
activists, community leaders and student organizers, have been killed, 
threatened or attacked for mobilizing against economic and political 
repression.

These attacks are carried out by forces trained, funded and endorsed by 
the U.S. government. It is part of a war that has dangerous 
ramifications against the other countries in the region.

*You can help end this war* by supporting the Colombian people and by 
demanding that the U.S. government and corporations stop supporting 
state terror by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's regime.

What you can do: (go to http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation for 
details)

    * *Join the fact-finding delegation
      <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation> to Colombia July 19
      to July 27!*
    * *Donate here <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation> to
      support the international fact-finding mission to Colombia!
      *
    * *Send messages of solidarity
      <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation> to the Tribunal!*


The Colombian labor union SINALTRAINAL, which represents Coca-Cola 
workers, together with other progressive organizations invites the 
international community to participate in a Permanent Peoples' Tribunal 
in Bogotá, Colombia on July 21-23, and to be part of a labor delegation 
which will visit hospitals, schools and worker centers, and meet with 
social organizations from July 19 to July 27.

The International Action Center is working with the U.S.-Cuba Labor 
Exchange to take a delegation of labor, anti-war and other progressive 
activists on a fact-finding mission that includes participation in the 
Tribunal. The delegation will meet with labor and other social activists 
who are leading the struggle in Colombia for political, economic and 
social justice and equality. The trip will help participants understand 
how U.S. policies abroad affect workers in Colombia and in the U.S.

The fact-finding delegation will bring back the truth to activists in 
the U.S. about the U.S. role in Colombian repression against students, 
unionists, human rights activists and other progressives. This will help 
to build the solidarity movement with the Colombian people.


*Background of Peoples' Tribunal:* The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal is an 
international independent tribunal that examines and judges complaints 
regarding violations of human rights that have been submitted by the 
victims. The Tribunal was founded in June 1979 in Italy by legal 
experts, writers and other intellectuals. It followed the Bertrand 
Russell International War Crimes Tribunal, which held two sessions in 
1967 to expose war crimes committed against the Vietnamese people.

The upcoming Tribunal session in Bogotá, entitled "Transnational 
corporations and crimes against humanity," will be the last held there 
after four prior hearings on (1) how foreign-owned agribusinesses have 
affected farmers and Indigenous peoples; (2) the mining companies' role; 
(3) the impact of transnational corporate-controlled development on 
biodiversity and the environment and (4) oil companies and human rights 
violations.

The Tribunal is an extremely important event that will help expose the 
dangerous, and escalating U.S. corporate-backed state repression against 
people's movements.

It will also reinvigorate the many peoples' movements and progressive 
forces with the solidarity that international delegations bring.

Edgar Paez from SINALTRAINAL says of the Tribunal's purpose: "Through 
this process we will increase the exposure of the relations between 
paramilitarism, transnational corporations and the policy of impunity 
and terror of the Colombian state. Its main purpose is the search for 
truth, justice and complete reparations. Several transnational 
corporations have been accused at the Permanent Peoples' 
Tribunal--Colombia Session, regarding their responsibility for the 
murder of union leaders for the violation of union freedom and the right 
of association."

*This is a critical situation! It needs the attention and help of 
progressive people throughout the U.S.!  *Go to 
http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation to help support the IAC 
delegation to the Tribunal.

    * *Join the delegation if you can!
      <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation>* Tell your friends
      about it!
    * *Make a donation <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation>* to
      help send students, anti-war and community activists, and working
      people to document U.S.-backed abuse in Colombia.  Help with costs
      of videotaping and publishing reports from the trip--and more!
    * *Send messages of solidarity
      <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation>* to the Peoples'
      Tribunal!  Ask community, union, religious, anti-war and other
      organizations and activists to email messages of support!
    * Post messages here <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation>


For information on travel arrangements, contact U.S./Cuba Labor Exchange 
at laborexchange at aol.com <mailto:laborexchange at aol.com>



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