[Peace] COLOMBIA URGENT ACTION: Protest expulsion of and denial of visas to CPT workers

[Martha Zarate]

Hello Peace Activists:

>Here is the information from Scott Albrecht (salbrecht at golden.net). He is 
>a fellow in Canada who is helping the Christian Peacemakers Team in 
>Chicago. It's regarding sending faxes, with sample
>letters.  To summarize, please send a fax to the Colombian Minister of
>Foreign Relations, and copy that fax to both the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, and
>your U.S. Representative or Senator, with cover letters.
>Thank you for your interest and work.
>Sincerely,

Martha Zarate




>----- Original Message -----
>From: "CPTnet editor, Webster, NY"
><CPTnet.editor.guest.445947 at MennoLink.org>
>To: <menno.org.cpt.news at MennoLink.org>
>Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2002 11:36 AM
>Subject: COLOMBIA URGENT ACTION: Protest expulsion of and denial of visas to
>CPT workers
>
>
>CPTnet
>November 28, 2002
>COLOMBIA URGENT ACTION: Help prevent expulsion of and denial of visas to CPT
>workers
>
>To put it bluntly, Christian Peacemaker Teams in Colombia is in crisis.
>Unless the Colombian Government begins to grant visas to team members
>scheduled to be in Colombia, CPT will no longer be able to provide support
>and protection for endangered civilians as it has over the last year and a
>half.
>
>In the last six months, the violence has increased dramatically in areas CPT
>Colombia accompanies. The AUC paramilitaries have begun to occupy these
>areas and continue to threaten the civilian population. During this time,
>the Colombia team has also had to deal with death threats, unlawful
>detentions, and continued problems with visas. The team in Colombia has not
>received renewals of religious visas, and in the last six months, four
>members of the team have been issued deportation orders.  These problems are
>part of  broader initiatives by the Colombian government that impede the
>actions of Colombian and international human rights observers.
>
>While this situation is frustrating for CPT members prevented from carrying
>out their commitments, it is alarming for the Colombian civilians that CPT
>accompanies. These people rely on CPT's ability to maintain a presence in
>their communities. Although human rights abuses and extra-judicial killings
>continue, members of the communities along the Opon River where CPT
>maintains a presence are convinced that CPT's presence has significantly
>reduced the level of violence in their communities. Many  community members
>have told CPT that if it weren't for the presence of CPT in their
>communities they would once again leave the area in search of safer havens.
>
>To respond to these actions by the Colombian government, the Colombia team
>asks that its supporters send faxes and letters to both Colombian officials
>and their own government representatives.  CPT believes the situation will
>only change in Colombia-- not just for CPT, but also for other international
>human rights groups working there--when government officials in Colombia and
>in North America hear from people who care about the life and well being of
>ordinary Colombians.
>
>Please send a fax (sample below) to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign
>Affairs.  Then send a copy of the above fax with a cover letter (sample
>below) to your country's embassy in Colombia and a copy with a cover letter
>(sample below) to your government representative.
>
>SAMPLE LETTER TO COLOMBIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN
>RELATIONS:  fax number: 773-527-2850
>
>Dear Dra. Carolina Barco de Botero,
>
>I have been reading with great concern about the situation in Colombia in
>the news. I see that the conflict has escalated, and that threats, and acts
>of violence against civilians, union leaders, and human rights defenders
>continue while the U.S. increases its military investments in Colombia.
>
>I am very concerned about the plight of human rights workers in
>Barrancabermeja, Colombia. Many union leaders and human rights workers have
>been threatened and forced to leave the area. It has also been reported in
>"El Tiempo" that areas of this city continue to be under control of the
>paramilitary group Autodefensas.  In this light, I am alarmed by the
>expulsion, and denial of visas to international human rights
>observers to work in and around this city.
>
>I am a supporter of Christian Peacemaker Teams and I have seen their efforts
>in Chiapas, Palestine, and Colombia reduce violence levels.  I understand
>that four of their members have been ordered deported from Colombia, two
>have been detained overnight under questionable circumstances, and six are
>currently awaiting visas that will enable them to reduce levels of violence
>in this very dangerous area of Colombia.  Three of the deportation orders
>have been revoked.   However the Colombian government has still not renewed
>their visas to continue their human rights work in Colombia. It is my
>understanding that no visas have been issued to Christian Peacemaker Teams
>since March 2002.
>
>I hope and pray that the Colombian government will begin to respond
>favorably to these important visa requests. The Christian Peacemaker Team in
>Barrancabermeja has been welcomed warmly by many churches there and other
>NGO's. Since the project began over a year ago I have read that over 100
>families have returned to their homes as a direct result of CPT's
>accompaniment. I hope that the Colombian government will decide to support
>this ministry that serves the people of Colombia in an invaluable way by
>granting visas to Scott Steven Kerr, Erin Kindy, Jessica Phillips, Matthew
>Schaaf, Stewart Vriesinga, Lisa Martens and William Payne.
>
>Thank you for your attention.
>
>
>In peace,
>
>
>
>PLEASE CC: YOUR GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE THE LETTER TO THE COLOMBIAN
>MINISTER OF FOREIGN RELATIONS ALONG WITH THE COVER LETTER WHICH FOLLOWS.
>Mail to:
>Your US Senator,
>Senate Office Building
>Washington, DC 20510
>
>Your US Representative,
>House Office Building,
>Washington, DC 20515
>
>Your Canadian Member of Parliament
>House of Commons
>Ottawa,ON K1A 0A6
>
>
>LETTER TO US REPRESENTATIVE, SENATOR OR CANADIAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT:
>
>Dear
>
>I write to you concerned because members of Christian Peacemaker Teams have
>not been given visas to continue their human rights accompaniment work.  I
>ask you to directly contact the Colombian Embassy to inquire about the
>status of these volunteers.
>
>I actively support the work of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT.) CPT is a
>Christian organization that places trained teams of peacemakers in conflict
>settings in an effort to reduce violence levels through nonviolent means.
>CPT maintains teams in Palestine, and Colombia, and is sending delegations
>to Iraq. As you can see from the enclosed letter to the Colombian Minister
>of Foreign Relations, CPT is doing valuable work in Colombia.
>
>Compliance with international standards of human rights has always been a
>condition of our country's relationship with Colombia. I am concerned that
>the Colombian government is making it more difficult for human rights
>workers to operate there. In order to help prevent human rights abuses and
>ensure that violators will be held accountable for their actions, national
>and international human rights observers must have free and ready access to
>all areas where human rights abuses are likely to occur.
>
>I would like to ask for your active participation in this matter by
>contacting the Colombian embassy directly to ask the Colombian government
>about the status of the following human rights workers and their visas to
>Colombia:  Scott Steven Kerr, Downers Grove, IL; Erin Kindy, Tiskilwa, IL;
>Jessica Phillips, Encinal, TX; Matthew Schaaf, Winnipeg, MB;  Stewart
>Vriesinga, Lucknow, ON; Lisa Martens, Winnipeg, MB and William Payne,
>Toronto, ON.
>
>
>I appreciate your attention to this matter. Please advise me of the response
>you receive.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>
>
>PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THE LETTER TO THE COLOMBIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN
>RELATIONS ALONG WITH THE FOLLOWING LETTER TO YOUR APPROPRIATE AMBASSADOR.
>
>COVER LETTER FOR EMBASSIES IN COLOMBIA
>U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson
>U.S. Embassy
>Bogotá, Colombia
>US EMBASSY Fax: 011-571-315-2163
>
>Canadian Ambassador Jean-Marc Duval
>Embassy of Canada
>Bogotá, Colombia
>CANADIAN EMBASSY Fax: 011-571-657-9910
>
>Dear Ambassador Duval,
>I am writing you today regarding the valuable contribution the Christian
>Peacemaker Teams organization has made to peace and human rights in
>Colombia.  I understand that you have met with members of CPT, that you have
>followed up on concerns brought to your attention by the team, and that you
>have communicated your concerns for the safety of members of the CPT
>Colombia team.
>
>As you are aware, with a team of a few people, CPT has provided a service of
>international presence, unarmed accompaniment of civilians and human rights
>observation that has allowed hundreds of formerly displaced Colombian
>citizens to return home. CPT team members are aware that there are risks in
>doing what they are doing.  They are also aware that the risks to Colombian
>civilians would be much, greater if CPT did not do what it is doing.
>
>Delays in the implementation of changes by the Colombian government
>regarding new categories and requirements for visa applications has resulted
>in Canadian and American human rights observers from Christian Peacemaker
>Teams not being granted visas, much to their dismay.
>
>It is my hope that as a representative of my government in Colombia, you
>hold, and will express to the Colombian government in unmistakable terms, an
>expectation that the Colombian government will take no discriminatory action
>that would limit the entry and access of foreign and national human rights
>workers to Colombia and to places within Colombia where human rights are or
>may become  jeopardized.
>
>Thank you for your attention to my concerns.
>
>
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>Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative among
>Mennonite and Church of the Brethren congregations and
>Friends Meetings that supports violence reduction
>efforts around the world. Contact CPT, POB 6508
>Chicago, IL 60680; Telephone: 773-277-0253
>Fax: 773-277-0291.
>
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