URGENT ACTION COLOMBIA

1 April 2008

UA 83/08 Fear for safety/Death Threats

COLOMBIA Members of the Comision Intereclesial Justicia y Paz, Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission:
Frank William Cayapur Delgado (m)
Edward Mina Cuero (m)
Yimi Armando Jansoy Munoz (m)

Isabelino Valencia (m), Member of the Naya river basin Community Council

An army-backed paramilitary group calling itself the "Black
Eagles" has sent death threats to the four human rights
defenders named above, who have been helping Afro-descendant
communities living in the Naya river basin area, located in
the western departments of Cauca and Valle de Cauca, to
secure the ownership of the land they farm. They are in
grave danger.

Three of the group work for the non-governmental human
rights organization Comision Intereclesial Justicia y Paz,
Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission. Isabelino
Valencia is a member of the Naya river basin Community
Council. In the Afro-Colombian areas holding collective
title to land, the Community Councils are responsible for
regulating local affairs, including the control of
resources.

Isabelino Valencia received a call on his mobile phone on 24
March at 7pm, from a man who told him, "We are following
you. Watch what you say." (nosotros los estamos siguiendo
cuiden lo que hablan y dicen). Before this, three death
threats had been delivered to the house in the municipality
of San Francisco Naya, department of Valle del Cauca, where
the members of Justicia y Paz were living. The first arrived
on 19 March at approximately 1am, and included drawings of a
skull and of a gravestone. It read: "Death. Read on and
take heed, Justicia y Paz. After monitoring your work we ask
you to leave the area as we do not want any obstacles.
William we know a lot about you. Eduar Yimy you should take
care of yourself and know that we are also following that
big mouth, Isabelino. Leave the area soon. We do not want
you and we are talking seriously. We are the para [military]
group in control - the Naya Black Eagles in Buenaventura. We
are waiting for you." Muerte. lease y cumplase justicia y
paz. por el seguimiento realizado a su trabajo les pedimos
el favor de salir de la zona no queremos obstaculos. William
sabemos mucho de uste (sic.), eduar yimy mejor protejanse, y
sepan que al bocon de isabelino tambien lo seguimos. salgan
pronto no respondemos no recochamos no los queremos. somos
el grupo de control para-el naya aguilas negras en
buenaventura. los esperamos.)

Two similar letters were delivered shortly afterwards. One
was found in the backyard at around 10am the same day; the
other was found on one of the window ledges the following
day. The four human rights defenders have sought refuge
outside the area, but intend to return. The death threats
are aimed not only at them personally, but at the work of
Justicia y Paz helping Afro-descendant communities to secure
their rights to their land. If the organization is driven
out, the communities will be far more vulnerable to
paramilitary attack.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Legislation was passed in the 1990s that allowed Afro-
descendant communities to have their ownership of their land
formally recognized. Many of the communities, including
those of the Naya river basin, have sought to use this
legislation to secure ownership of land on which their
communities have lived for many years. They have faced
repeated death threats from paramilitaries and the security
forces. Paramilitaries have forced them to grow coca to
produce cocaine and have reportedly occupied some of their
land. There have been similar reports of guerrilla groups
targeting Afro-descendant communities living on the Pacific
coast. The communities, together with Justicia y Paz and
other human rights organizations working in the area, have
attempted to assert their right as civilians not to be drawn
into the security forces and paramilitary groups' conflict
with guerrilla forces. The government claims that
paramilitary groups have all demobilized, but they are still
operating.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
- expressing concern for Comision Intereclesial Justicia y
Paz members Frank William Cayapur Delgado, Edward Mina Cuero
and Yimi Armando Jansoy Munoz, and also Isabelino Valencia,
who have received death threats because of their work on
behalf of Afro-descendant communities in the departments of
Valle del Cauca and Cauca;
- urging the authorities to ensure that all four are
protected in accordance with their own wishes;
- calling on the authorities to order full and impartial
investigations into the threats, publish the results and
bring those responsible to justice;
- calling on the authorities to take decisive action to
confront and dismantle paramilitary groups and investigate
and break their links with the security forces, in line with
repeated UN recommendations.

APPEALS TO:
President of the Republic
Senor Presidente Alvaro Uribe Velez
Presidente de la Republica
Palacio de Narino, Carrera 8 No.7-2
Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: 011 57 1 337 5890 / 342 0592
Salutation: Dear President Uribe/Excmo. Sr. Presidente Uribe

Minister of the National Defense
Sr. Juan Manuel Santos,Ministro de Defensa Nacional
Ministerio de Defensa Nacional
Avenida El Dorado - Carrera 52 OFI. 217
Centro Administrativo Nacional (CAN)
Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: 011 57 1 266 03 51 (ask: "me da tono de fax, por Favor")
Salutation: Dear Sir/Estimado Sr. Ministro

Attorney General
Dr. Mario German Iguaran Arana
Fiscal General de la Nacion,
Fiscalia General de la Nacion
Diagonal 22B (Av. Luis Carlos Galan No. 52-01) Bloque C,
Piso 4
Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: 011 57 1 570 2000 (extension 2017)
Salutation: Estimado Sr. Fiscal/Dear Mr Iguaran

COPIES TO:
Non-Governmental Human Rights Organization
Justicia y Paz Intereclesial
Calle 61 A, No. 17-26
Bogota, COLOMBIA

Human Rights Ombudsman
Sr. Volmar Antonio Perez Ortiz, Defensor del Pueblo
Defensoria del Pueblo
Calle 55, No. 10-32/46 oficina 301
Bogota, COLOMBIA

Embassy
Ambassador Maria Carolina Barco Isakson
Embassy of Colombia
2118 Leroy Pl. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 232 8643
Email: emwas@colombiaemb.org

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 13 May 2008.

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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL