San Jose de Apartado peace community visit ireland

national | miscellaneous | press release

Saturday July 16, 2005 18:07

by cearbhuil ni fhionnghusa - gluaiseacht and latin american solidarity limerick

cearbhuilf at yahoo dot ie

ballymac, kilmallock, co. limerick

086 0554665

Fundraiser@RiDDLERS, limerick friday 29th july

San Jose de Apartado is the first peace community to be set up in Colombia. A massacre took place there last february 21st where 8 people were murdered. 2 leaders of the higher council of san jose are coming to ireland on august 5th to try and get Ireland to support their peace initiative. The humanitarian gig on July 29th at Riddlers bar, Sarsfield St. Limerick City hopes to raise the funds to bring these leaders of San Jose de apartado to Ireland .

Two leading members of the first ever peace community
San Jose de Apartado in Colombia are coming to Ireland
on an official visit. Jesus Emilio Tuberquias Gonzales
and Brigida Maria Gonzales de Cartagena will
arrive in Dublin on August 5th where they hope to meet

with Minister Dermot Ahern at the Department of
Foreign
Affairs, Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders,
and other important organisations around the country
to discuss how Ireland can support them in their quest
for sustainable peace in war torn Colombia.

Thehumanitarian gig will take place on Friday July
29th at Riddlers and
is being organised by Limerick Latin American
Solidarity and Gluaiseacht.
All the funds raised will go into organising the
speaking tour for the visitors.
This is the second time Riddlers Events Space,
Sarsfield St, has supported
Limerick Latin American Solidarity with fundraising.

San Jose de Apartado is a small community situated in
the department of Antioquia in Colombia. San Jose was
set up in 1996 as a response to systematic human
rights violations and massacres carried out in the
area. The peace community of San Jose de Apartado has
been working for peace for the past 8 years. Situated
in a military strategic zone where armed actors are
present fighting one another over land ownership and
control, San Jose’s members are constant targets for
threats, attacks, murders from paramilitary groups,
the guerrilla and the state army.

Due to this situation, an international human rights
court has given special protection measures to the
members of San Jose de Apartado and they regularly
call on the Colombian Government to protect the lives
of the citizens of the peace community. Noam Chomsky
is a honourary member of this peace community and many
international human rights organisations like Amnesty
International have visited San Jose as well as Foreign
Embassies,
Bishops, and politicians.

Jesus Emilio and Brigida hope to drum up a lot of
support when they come to Ireland. The would like to
make links with church groups, women’s groups,
community development projects and local communities
in the hope that they can establish strong connections
the Ireland.

If you want more information on the visit of Brigida
and Jesus Emilio or where you can hear them speak, or
if you would like them to visit your area
please contact Latin American Solidarity Limerick@
086 0554665.