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Updated photo journal: PBI-Colombia accompanies human rights defenders during the national strike

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo: PBI-Colombia accompanied the Committee in Solidarity with Political Prisoners (CSPP) in Bogotá on April 28. Scroll down for more photos.

The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project has been accompanying human rights defenders throughout the national strike that began on April 28.

Below we have compiled photos from those accompaniments. If you click on the hyperlinked date in bold you will see the original PBI-Colombia tweet in Spanish.

MAY 20: “PBI accompanied the Justice and Peace Commission in the Portal Americas humanitarian space. In its report on the violent intervention by the security forces, it reported dozens of injured people and members of its human rights commission were harassed.”

MAY 19: “PBI accompanied NOMADESC in Loma de la Cruz and Punto Resistencia in Cali in their work of monitoring and verifying violations of the human rights of protesters in the National Strike.”

MAY 14: “Today we accompany NOMADESC in the Aures neighborhood in Buga verifying cases of vulnerability of human rights related to the disproportionate use of force in mobilizations of the national strike on May 13. The use of tear gas affected even minors.”

May 13: “PBI accompanies the Justice and Peace Commission in the ‘to heat the pot’ humanitarian space in Bogota. Defender la Libertad highlights the critical situation of violations of human rights in Portal Américas since the beginning national strike includes 8 cases of torture, 25 wounded and 1 homicide.”

May 12: “PBI has been accompanying the human rights organization CREDHOS in Barrancabermeja in different mobilizations during the national strike in their work of monitoring and verifying the marches and in cases of arbitrary detentions in the city. Today we were with them on a march to the Camilo Torres Park.”

May 12: “PBI accompanies the Justice and Peace Commission in the ‘to heat the pot’ humanitarian space in Portal Americas in Bogota where the population participates in peaceful protest and cultural activities.”

May 12: “PBI is accompanied NOMADESC in Cali where the Indigenous Minga begins its caravan to mobilization points and continues from Cauca in the national strike and national minga.”

May 11: “PBI accompanied the Justice and Peace Commission in the Portal Americas humanitarian space in Bogota within the framework of the national strike where last night 7 people were injured and 10 people detained by ESMAD [riot police] in the middle of a peaceful protest.”

May 8: “PBI accompanied Berenice Celeita from NOMADESC at the great mobilization of mothers and women of Cali” who were protesting against the murder of young people during the social protests.

May 6: “PBI accompanied the Justice and Peace Commission in mobilizations at Portal de las Americas Kennedy where youth and grassroots organizations in the area have created a humanitarian space for participation in the social protests.”

May 5: “PBI accompanied NOMADESC in monitoring peaceful demonstrations in La Luna, Cali. The monitoring platform Indepaz has registered 31 people killed during the social protest between April 28-May 4, 24 of them in the city of Cali.”

May 4: “PBI accompanied NOMADESC in Siloe, Cali where they report at least 3 homicides and multiple injured people last night.”

May 3: “PBI accompanied NOMADESC in monitoring mobilization points in Cali within the framework of the national strike. 21 homicides and 503 people have been arrested during the social protest in Colombia between April 28 to May 1.”

April 28: “PBI accompanied members of the Committee in Solidarity with Political Prisoners (CSPP) in Bogota and the Social Corporation for Community Advice and Training (COSPACC) in Yopal within the framework of guarantees for peaceful social protest.”

PBI-Honduras observes International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia march in Tegucigalpa

By
Brent Patterson
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The Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project has posted: “On May 17, in the context of the Day against LGBTBIphobia, PBI observed the peaceful mobilization of the LGTBIQ population, which continues to face numerous attacks.”

Reporting Without Fear and the Washington Blade further report (in Spanish): “LGBTIQ+ organizations in San Pedro Sula [a city 240 kilometres north of Tegucigalpa] and [in the capital city of] Tegucigalpa demonstrated during the commemoration of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.”

That article also notes: “From El Obelisk Park in Comayagaela [a city 80 kilometres northwest of Tegucigalpa] to the National Stadium in Tegucigalpa, protesters from Somos CDC, Arcoíris LGTB Association, Muñecas de Arcoiris, LITOS and others marched en masse to celebrate the elimination of homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses by the World Health Organization on May 17, 1990.”

And it quotes Donny Reyes of the Arcoíris LGTB Association of Honduras who stated: “The state has a strong debt to the LGTBI community. We have to demand and do justice for all the companions who have murdered, [whose crimes] continue in total impunity.”

From June 2015 to March 2016, six members of Arcoiris were killed.

In 2019-20, Arcoiris reported at least 15 security incidents, including cases of intimidation, threats, surveillance, physical assaults, muggings, attempted kidnapping and attempted murder.

Reyes has stated: “The biggest problem that we face is the violence of the state security forces towards the LGBT+ community: the armed forces, the police, the criminal investigation police, military police, municipal police.”

He adds: “The research studies that Arcoiris and other organizations have done reflect the same pattern — more than 60 per cent of hate crimes have been committed against us by those forces who should be guaranteeing our safety.”

PBI-Honduras notes: “In Honduras, 90% of hate crimes remain in impunity, this situation reflects discrimination and inequality towards the LGTBIQ population, which continues to face numerous attacks.”

PBI-Honduras accompanied the Arcoíris LGTB Association of Honduras since July 2015.

#IDAHOBIT #IDAHOT #IDAHOTB

PBI-Colombia accompanies Justice and Peace following violent intervention by police in the Portal Americas humanitarian space

By
Brent Patterson
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On May 20, the Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project tweeted: “PBI accompanied the Justice and Peace Commission in the Portal Americas humanitarian space. In its report on the violent intervention by the security forces, it reported dozens of injured people and members of its human rights commission were harassed.”

Among the incidents of May 18 reported by Justice and Peace, they note: “At 5:20 p.m., an ESMAD tanker with the Venom device entered the Portal de las Américas.”

The US-based manufacturer describes the VENOM device as “a lightweight, high capacity, non-lethal grenade launcher.”

The company further notes: “[It] delivers non-lethal flash and sound, smoke obscuration, irritant, and blunt trauma effects. These effects support escalation of force, early warning to determine intent, crowd dispersal and area denial objectives.”

In this video from May 6, one can see what appears to be the VENOM launcher being fired at people on the street. And in this tweet about the video, José Miguel Vivanco, the Executive Director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch, comments: “It is a dangerous and indiscriminate weapon.”

Describing the space where the vehicle and launcher were deployed, PBI-Colombia has previously noted that Portal Americas, a bus rapid transit station in the locality of Kennedy in Bogota, is “where youth and grassroots organizations in the area have created a humanitarian space for participation in the social protests.”

Teusaradio further explains the space has been as “a place of artistic, cultural and political debate that resists constant police repression.”

The full report by Justice and Peace on the incidents of May 18 at the Portal de las Américas in Bogota can be read here.

PBI-Colombia has also reported on its accompaniment of the Justice and Peace Commission in the humanitarian space on May 6, 11, 12 and 13. For a photo-journal of PBI-Colombia accompaniments during the national strike, click here.

Image by CRIC of a police tanker/armoured vehicle with a VENOM launcher mounted on it.

PBI-Honduras accompanies event marking the 4th anniversary of a blockade against dam on the Jilamito River

By
Brent Patterson
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The Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project has posted on Facebook: “On May 15, PBI accompanied the [fourth anniversary] event for the Defence of the Jilamito River, where the communities ratified that ‘the river is for our community water project and that defending the right to water is defending life’.”

The Broad Movement for Dignity and Justice (MADJ) set up the ‘dignity camp’ on May 15, 2017 in opposition to the construction of a dam on the river.

Movimiento Amplio has also tweeted: “On the fourth anniversary of Camp Worthy for the Defense of the Jilamito River. From the communities we say: ‘The people of Arizona will continue fighting for our Jilamito River as long as necessary.’”

In May 2018, The Guardian reported that the “Jilamito Five” face a “land invasion” charge and “the authorities are hoping a prosecution will enable them to clear a makeshift community blockade in the remote hilly pastures so construction can begin.”

Financing the dam

PBI-Honduras further notes: “[Communities expressed] the rejection of financing from the Inter-American Development Bank, the company Ingelsa and the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and demand that the NO to extractive projects in the territory be respected.”

On April 5, this letter signed by Peace Brigades International-USA and 60 other organizations called on U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to cancel the international funding of the Jilamito project.

That letter states:

“We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our seriousness concern about the decision of IDB Invest, a member of the Inter-American Bank Group of Desarrollo, which in December 2020 approved a loan of $ 20.25 million for the Jilamito Hydroelectric Project in Honduras.”

“We urge you to use the voice of the United States within IDB Invest and your role as a member of the DFC [the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation] Board of Directors to suspend proposed funding for the Jilamito Hydroelectric Project, ensure that no disbursements are made and that financing is definitely canceled.”

Furthermore, Martín Fernández Guzman, a member of Movimiento Amplio, recently spoke on a PBI-USA organized webinar about the resistance in Honduras to the dam. He highlighted the Canadian financing of the dam.

The Honduras Solidarity Network has also noted: “It’s not just the DFC that’s involved in funding this project, but also the Canadian government and the private arm of the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB).”

We continue to follow this.

AguaWil carries message of opposition to fracking in Puerto Wilches at national strike mobilization in Bogota

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo: AguaWil and CORDATEC in Bogota, May 19.

On May 19, Yuvelis Natalia Morales of the Committee for the Defence of Water, Life and Territory of Puerto Wilches (AguaWil) participated in the national strike mobilization in the capital city of Bogota.

Yuvelis also spoke at this webinar convened by Peace Brigades International on April 29 (the day after the first national strike mobilization).

At that webinar, Yuvelis stated: “We have highlighted the impacts of fracking on not only the environment, but also the health of the people. And when AguaWil became more visible, and didn’t disappear, when we became a problem for the oil companies, those interested in promoting fracking and its economic benefits, they started to threaten, stigmatize, and silence us. More than eight of our youth have been threatened.”

She also noted: “We have a constitutional right to a healthy environment, but the government is not interesting in hearing the communities because we are a problem for them, they aren’t interested in listening to young people. But we will keep fighting.”

Fracking at dialogue tables in Santander

Caracol Radio now reports: “The Central Union of Workers announced that there are already early approaches by the Santander government to set up dialogue tables with the Departmental Strike Committee.”

That first exploratory table meeting will take place today, Thursday May 20.

The article further notes that among the points that will be compiled as a statement of petitions for that exploratory table is the issue of fracking.

Canadian fracking in the Magdalena Medio

To date, two fracking pilot projects have been approved near Puerto Wilches: the ExxonMobil Platero project and the Ecopetrol Kale project.

The Platero project has been authorized on the VMM-37 block co-owned by ExxonMobil and Toronto-based Sintana Energy.

Calgary-based Canacol Energy has welcomed this pilot project and announced it is conducting tests to also pursue fracking in the Magdalena Medio. Calgary-based Parex Resources Inc. has also been named as a company interested in fracking in Colombia.

130+ environmental groups join the national strike

On May 12, more than 130 organizations, collectives, movements and environmental platforms announced their participation in the national strike.

Among the eight demands listed in their statement: “Prohibit fracking, exploitation of unconventional deposits and new offshore deposits; to replace fossil fuel exploitation in the short term and halt the construction of new thermoelectric plants to move towards a fair energy transition as an urgent measure in the face of the climate emergency.”

The signatories of this statement include AguaWil, CORDATEC, the Alliance for a Colombia Free of Fracking, Extinction Rebellion Colombia, Amigos de la Tierra Colombia and the PBI-Colombia accompanied José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective (CCAJAR) and the Regional Corporation for the Defense of Human Rights (CREDHOS).

In its Global Analysis 2020 report, Front Line Defenders documents that 177 human rights defenders were killed in Colombia in 2020. Environmental defenders opposed to fracking in the Magdalena Medio region, including Yuvelis, have faced death threats.

We continue to follow this situation with great concern.

PBI-Colombia accompanies NOMADESC in its verification work in Loma de la Dignidad and Puerto Resistencia in Cali

By
Brent Patterson
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On May 19, PBI-Colombia tweeted: “Today PBI accompanied NOMADESC in Loma de la Cruz and Punto Resistencia in Cali in their work of monitoring and verifying violations of the human rights of protesters in the National Strike.”

Loma de la Cruz is a hilltop in the city of Cali with a park and an artisanal market with kiosks with traditional homemade goods and small food places.

Infobae has reported that Loma de la Cruz (hill of the cross) has been renamed Loma de la Dignidad (hill of dignity) during the national strike. That article also notes that this past weekend it was the site of peaceful and artistic events, including a symphonic cacerolazo (a popular form of protest normally associated with the banging of pots and pans). A short video of that symphony playing ‘Bella Ciao’ is here. The gathering was also an occasion for people to make donations to the artisans impacted by the strike.

And the BBC has explained: “In Cali, the third largest city in the country, what was once Puerto Rellena, a popular spot famous for its sausages is now the base of the most insurrectionary version of the strike.” It similarly has been renamed Puerto Resistencia.

A week ago, The Guardian also noted that Cali “has become the center of Colombia’s anti-government protests”, that “47 people have died during the unrest, with 35 deaths in Cali” and that Colombia’s president had “announced that more soldiers and police officers would be dispatched to the city to lift blockades.”

United Nations and Organization of American States human rights experts have stated: “We are deeply distressed by the excessive and unlawful use of force by police and members of the ESMAD (Mobile Anti-Riot Squad) against peaceful demonstrators, human rights defenders and journalists across Colombia.”

PBI-Colombia has been accompanying NOMADESC and other organizations throughout the national strike. For a photo-journal compilation, please see PBI-Colombia accompanies human rights defenders during the #ParoNacional national strike.

Calgary-based Parex Resources comments on the impact of the national strike on its oil operations in Colombia

By
Brent Patterson
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The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project accompanied CREDHOS on a recent national strike march in Barrancabermeja.

On May 17, Calgary-based Parex Resources Inc. issued a statement on the impact of the national strike on its oil operations in Colombia.

Their statement notes: “A series of protests across Colombia during May 2021 have resulted in transportation blockades that have restricted the production and marketing of Parex’ crude oil. Additionally, the transportation blockades impeded the supply of materials required for capital expenditure activities, including drilling and completions.”

The company highlights: “The blockades were not directly related to Parex’ activities or those of its industry partners.”

It then adds: “Going forward we expect to continue restarting our normal operations and production, subject to the lifting of blockades in the Llanos Basin.” Furthermore: “Parex is proactively planning to resume … exploration and growth activities [in four blocks], subject to the transportation blockades being lifted.”

Bajo Simacota

Parex also notes: “In many instances Parex has continued to receive the support of the communities where we operate, live and work.”

Just prior to World Water Day this year, the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (CREDHOS) tweeted: “For a healthy environment, CREDHOS accompanies and supports the processes in defense of water in the territory. We highlight the struggle of the Bajo Simacota community against contamination by oil spills, caused by Parex.”

Environmental defenders

Last week more than 130 environmental groups, including CREDHOS, announced their participation in the national strike. Their demands include: “Protect the lives and integrity of environmental defenders who have been threatened, attacked and killed for their legitimate work of caring for and protecting nature.” That concern would likely extend to the criminalization and judicialization of defenders.

CREDHOS has highlighted that community members undertook a blockade of the Parex oil field in Simacota in March 2020. By September of that year, Parex had taken two social leaders to court over this protest claiming it had harmed their good name. But by October, a municipal court had dismissed the company’s challenge against the social leaders.

Fracking

The statement from environmental groups also highlights: “Prohibit fracking, exploitation of unconventional deposits and new offshore deposits; to replace fossil fuel exploitation in the short term and halt the construction of new thermoelectric plants to move towards a fair energy transition as an urgent measure in the face of the climate emergency.”

In March 2019, Colombian energy minister Maria Fernanda Suarez named Parex as one of the companies interested in the fracking pilot projects.

We continue to follow this situation.

PBI-Colombia has accompanied CREDHOS since 1994.

CODEMUH feminist collective reports conditions for maquilas workers in Honduras have worsened with the pandemic

By
Brent Patterson
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Maria Luisa Regalado is the coordinator and a founding member of CODEMUH.

The Colectiva de Mujeres Hondureñas (CODEMUH or the Honduran Women’s Collective) is a feminist, popular, autonomous, grassroots organization.

It recently tweeted this Radio Canada International article: Canadian clothing made in Honduras | Fatigue, stress and poverty, effects of COVID on maquilas workers.

That article notes: “As part of World Day of Occupational Safety and Health [on April 28] CODEMUH, presented a study [that found] the physical, emotional and financial health of maquilas workers deteriorated markedly since the beginning of the pandemic.”

Maquilas refer to areas/zones where foreign companies own factories that produce products, including clothing, at low wages for foreign markets.

Radio Progreso has also reported: “More than 70% of the workers in the maquilas show physical, emotional, economic and social health effects, according to a study carried out between October 2020 and March 2021 by CODEMUH.”

A few weeks after the pandemic began in March 2020, Maria Luisa Regalado, the coordinator of CODEMUH, had stated: “We’re scared to lose our jobs…but we feel impotent. Those of us who are renters don’t know how we’ll pay the rent. There’s a lot that’s unknown. We don’t know what’s going to happen with our lives.”

In May 2015, Rabble reported: “Conditions in Canadian-owned Gildan garment factories are among the worst in Honduras says Reyna Tejada, a former factory worker and representative from CODEMUH, a feminist labour organization. Tejada was in Vancouver to speak at the CUPE-BC convention, held April 29 to May 2.”

CODEMUH has highlighted that it promotes “a comprehensive systematic process on the human rights of women in the area of ​​violence due to their gender and workplace violence, with an emphasis on occupational health, also sexual rights and reproductive health with a feminist political vision.”

For more on the work of CODEMUH and the issue of maquilas, there are also these articles posted by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE).

You can follow CODEMUH on Twitter here.

Canada should conduct a human rights review of the military goods it has exported to the Colombian police and army

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo by La Jornada.

In its most recent report on Canada’s export of military goods, the Government of Canada says it “strives to ensure that … Canadian goods and technology are not used in a manner that is prejudicial to human rights…”

With that in mind, we note that Temblores has documented 2,387 cases of police brutality, 472 violent interventions by the public force (police and army) and 18 sexual assaults by the public force in Colombia between April 28 and May 18.

United Nations and Organization of American States human rights experts have also stated: “We are deeply distressed by the excessive and unlawful use of force by police and members of the ESMAD (Mobile Anti-Riot Squad) against peaceful demonstrators, human rights defenders and journalists across Colombia.”

Given this, we believe Canada should review its export of weapons and other supplies that may be used to repress social protests in Colombia. That review should also include exports to third countries that then ship arms to Colombia.

Annual report on military exports

Global Affairs Canada produces an annual Report on the Export of Military Goods.

The annual report must be tabled in Parliament prior to May 31 of the subsequent calendar year. As such, the report on the military goods exported by Canada in 2020 should be publicly available within the next 12 days.

Exports to Colombia in recent years

In 2018, Canada exported $310,576.25 of military goods to Colombia. In 2017, it was $114,688.85. In 2016, it was $215,066.11. And it 2015 it was $522,203. In 2014, it was $44,754,393.

In January 2013, the Colombian Ministry of National Defence awarded a USD $65.3 million contract to a Canadian company for 24 Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) for the Colombian Army. The contract was signed through the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a Crown Agency of the Government of Canada.

In May 2014, another Canadian company reported it would supply 4 Huron tactical attack and defense vehicles to the National Police of Colombia. In April 2015, the same manufacturer had a tendered order 26 Huron vehicles for the Colombian police.

Exports via the United States

The 2019 report on Canada’s export of military goods notes: “With the exception of those items that require a permit for export to the United States, Global Affairs Canada does not collect data on most military exports to the U.S.” Project Ploughshares (an organization co-founded by PBI co-founder Murray Thomson) has commented that most arms exports from Canada to the United States are parts and components.

The U.S. International Trade Administration reports: “According to official estimates, U.S. imports market share in 2019 represented 25 percent of Colombia’s total imports of military equipment.” Without greater transparency and more detail, it is not possible to know if Canadian-made parts and components are in those U.S. exports to Colombia.

Next steps

In November 2018, the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that Canada was conducting a review of all export permits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that included a review of Canadian exports of military goods and technology used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international human rights law, including internal repression.

That review also examined if there was a substantial risk that Canadian exports of military goods and technology would be used to commit or facilitate serious acts of gender-based violence, or serious acts of violence against women and children.

Given the concerns highlighted by the United Nations and the Organization of American States about the present situation in Colombia, we believe a review of Canadian military goods exported to Colombia is needed.

PBI-Honduras accompanies the Arcoíris LGTB Association at a media conference in Tegucigalpa

By
Brent Patterson
-

On May 18, PBI-Honduras posted: “Recently, in the context of the commemoration of the International Day against Homophobia, Lesbophobia and Transphobia, we accompanied Arcoíris LGTB Association of Honduras in a public press release.”

That media conference happened on May 14 in advance of International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on May 17.

Conexion reports: “On Saturday May 14, the organizations Arcoíris, CDC, Grupo Lésbico and Bisexual LITOS of Honduras held a sit-in on the ground floor of the National Congress facility located in Tegucigalpa and read a press release as part of the activities that the organizations LGTBI of Honduras will carry out in commemoration of the International Day Against Homophobia, Lesbophobia and Transphobia.”

Their media statement highlighted: “In Honduras, LGTB people continue to be victims of stigma and discrimination due to our sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. We continue to face numerous attacks that translate into hate crimes.”

Pasos de Animal Grande adds: “The LGTB Rainbow Association of Honduras [and other organizations] called for a comprehensive law of care for LGTBI people, the Law on Job Inclusion and the passage of the Law on Identity and Gender for Trans People.”

And PBI-Honduras notes: “The State of Honduras was urged to listen to and adopt the more than 12 specific recommendations made during the Universal Periodic Review (EPU) for the recognition of the rights of LGTB people.”

Those 12 recommendations can be found on pages 2-5 under “Equality & non-discrimination” when you click the “Matrix of recommendations” link that can be accessed here.

Journalist Dina Meza has written that from the time of the 2009 coup to July 2019, 325 people from the LGBT community have been killed in Honduras.

PBI-Honduras began accompanying Arcoíris in July 2015.

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