Resolution accepted at the 12th EGP Council, Barcelona, Spain, March 19-21, 2010
With the second term in office of the President Alvaro URIBE coming to an end, the situation regarding human rights in Colombia needs all attention possible. This is an urgent matter because the demobilization of armed groups, beginning with the paramilitary forces, has not shown results and human rights abuses against the population continue. There is no official recognition nor reparation for the for the victims of the paramilitary forces, in contradiction of publicly made promises by the government. The paramilitary movement has made a comeback after the extradition of its principal leaders to the United States
The victories of the military against the guerrilla forces gave the impression to the international community that Colombia is approaching the end of a 50 year long conflict or at least its extinction by military action. This may result in some governments displaying a sort of blind trust and make them forget that the human rights situation remain extremely fragile. This is even more the case because conflict continues to exist and successor groups emerge resulting in renewed intervention by the government and oppressive measures.
The government forces are directly involved in violations of human rights, crimes against humanity, as is clearly shown in reports established by 'Human Rights Watch' and 'Justice and Peace'.
The body count that President URIBE has initiated in an attempt to claim that many guerrillas have been killed has led to what the press has been calling since last year 'false positives'. Enquiries by justice officials have revealed that every day the murders of young people from poor areas are being reported, whose bodies are tampered with in order to present their corpses as guerrillas who died in combat.
On the other hand, the justice system and the press have shown that the department of internal security has illegally organized illegally the surveillance of well-known people from the opposition parties, journalists, trade-unionists, councillors and human rights defenders. Even the Inter-American commission of human rights, which has observer status for violations of human rights, has been the target of such espionage attacks. Great concern remains over the widespread and systematic violent attacks on the trade- unionists and the situation of women.
There is still no reparation for the victims of the paramilitary forces, in contradiction of publicly made promises by the government. The paramilitary movement has made a comeback after the extradition of its principal leaders to the United States.
Under pressure from the trade union movements in both countries, the signature of a treaty on free trade negotiated by the governments of BUSH and URIBE has not been possible and has been blocked since 2006.
The European greens protest against the cooperation of the European Union by means of GPS status with a country that does not respect human rights or the conventions on social and environmental matters.
We ask the European Commission to stop the negotiations for a treaty on free trade unless and until the human rights are comprehensively and effectively protected by the government.
We also demand an efficient inquiry on human rights in Colombia, as has been done for Sri Lanka, that has seen the withdrawal of its 'general system of preference status' (GPS). The United States, Canada and Norway have stopped their negotiations That is why the European Greens Party asks for an interruption of the negotiations of the European Union with Columbia. Should this be refused, the European Greens party decides to take action in order to create a delegation of citizens to gather information on the human rights situation in Columbia.
The European Green Party joins all the information campaigns on the human rights situation of human rights in Columbia and will support the people’s alternative summit that is being organized in May 2010 in Madrid, when the Presidents and Heads of State of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) meet in Madrid under the Spanish Presidency of the EU.
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