Another murder in San Jose Peace Community

international | anti-war / imperialism | press release Wednesday May 16, 2007 14:57 by San Jose Peace Community - The Friends of San Jose Ireland cearbhuilf at yahoo dot ie

Francisco Puerta killed by Paramilitaries

Francisco Puerta, a former coordinator of Humanitarian Zone Miramar ,and member of San Jose de Apartado Peace Community is shot dead by paramilitary soldiers in the bus station in Apartado.

The Peace Community once again ask the International Community to support them in their struggle to live in peace, in their quest to continue denouncing human rights abuses committed by the the paramilitary right-wing groups in Colombia.

Please contact Alan Cummins at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Americas Section, alan.cummins@dfa.ie and ask him to immediately contact the Colombian authorities in relation to the murder of Francisco and in relation to the security of the lives of all the members of the San Jose Peace Community.

The continued deaths, aggressive acts, and threats against our process [of peaceful resistance] have not stopped. All forms of destruction are being used against us: they use social investment as a weapon of war, death threats at the hands of paramilitaries in collaboration with the police forces continue. As we, the civilian population search for an alternative in the midst of the armed conflict we are committed to informing to International Community of all of the acts [of aggression] so that the world can see and someday judge these acts of terrorism. We now find ourselves once again informing the International Community of a new murder, and attack against the Humanitarian Zones and against our Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado.
- Today, Monday May 14 at 7am, FRANCISCO PUERTA, campesino leader and ex-coordinator of the humanitarian zone of Miramar, was assassinated in front of the bus terminal in Apartadó by paramilitary soldiers. Two paramilitaries approached the shop situated in the terminal where Francisco was seated and fired several times, then left. The police were nearby.
- Today, at 7:30 am, a group of six paramilitaries dressed as civilians with large weapons were seen in Mangolo [a neighborhood village outside Apartadó] and another four paramilitaries also dressed as civilians and armed were seen just outside of the town of Apartado. The military and police roadblock is situated just two minutes away from where the paramilitary soldiers were sighted.
- On May 13 a person who was shopping in Apartado went and told various Peace Community members that paramilitaries in various neighborhoods of Apartadó had been saying that they were going to commit a massacre in the Peace Community.
- On May 9 at 7:10 am, three campesina women who live near San Jose are detained by three paramilitaries in Mangolo, located near Apartadó on the road to San José. The three men were dressed in civilian clothing and carried small weapons, radios, and introduced themselves as Aguilas Negras [a newly-formed paramilitary group]. They told the women they were going to kill them. They took them to the entrance to Apartadó, where there is a police check-point.
There, they asked for the women’s identification. They read the women’s details over the radio, and then announced that they were not the ones they were looking for.
The three paramilitaries took their photos and told them that if they told anyone about what happened that they would kill them. They said they been given orders to kill a number of members from San Jose de Apartado Peace Community
They asked the women about various Peace Community leaders and accompaniers and said that they wouldn’t save the community because the whole area of San José is controlled by guerrillas…
After detaining the women for half an hour and continuing to insult and threaten them, they let them go but warned them that they would kill them if they informed anyone on what had happened.
These occurrences are evidence that the violent paramilitary actions that the government hopes to conceal have reignited a cauldron of assassinations against leaders of the humanitarian zones and violence against the Peace Community of San Jose de Apartado.
The governments plan to exterminate the Community will not succeed as we will not back down on our principals. We continue even stronger than before; we commit ourselves to continue our transparency and we are grateful for the solidarity of the national and international community. The work of Francisco and his memory gives us strength. We send our sympathy and solidarity to his children and his family.
PEACE COMMUNITY OF SAN JOSE DE APARTADO
May 14, 2007
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