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>

 
*Political repression is on the rise in Colombia, despite recent news!
 
The international community must speak out!*
 
*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*

*Support the fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations 
in Colombia and the Tribunal!*

*The human rights crisis in Colombia is dire!*  _In the last two weeks, 
two trade unionists and the 10-year-old son of one of them were 
killed. _ According to some unionists, more than 4,000 unionists have 
been killed in Colombia in the last 20 years.  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,
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.

have been killed, threatened or attacked for mobilizing against economic 
and political repression.

In spite of recent events in Colombia, which have captured vast media 
attention, the reality is that political repression by the Uribe regime 
goes on day-in-and-day-out against those those who oppose it.  This is 
not publicized by the press.  *It must be publicized by all who want 
human rights and justice!*

The 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:*_

Send messages <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation>of solidarity 
to the Tribunal!

Donate here <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation> to support the 
international fact-finding mission to Colombia!

Send this email out far-and-wide to organizations and individuals to get 
the truth out!

The Colombian labor union SINALTRAINAL, which represents Coca-Cola 
workers, and other progressive organizations  are hosting a Permanent 
Peoples' Tribunal in Bogotá, Colombia on July 21-23, and an 
international labor delegation which will visit hospitals, schools and 
worker centers, and meet with social organizations,

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.!*

Tell your friends about it! http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation

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. 
<http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation>
Help with costs of videotaping and publishing reports from the trip--and 
more! http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation

Send messages <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation> of 
solidarity to the Peoples' Tribunal!  Ask community, union, religious, 
anti-war and other organizations and activists to email messages of 
support! <http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation>

Post messages here : http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegation 
<http://www.iacenter.org/colombia/delegatio>



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