Another break in, a Presidential break out and perhaps a small break through in the halls of Congress

Another NGO has been robbed. Again, it seems to have been a targeted break-in, to obtain information on non-violent peace movements in Colombia. From the JustaPaz action alert:

The Christian Center for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action, Justapaz, which is a program of the Mennonite Church of Colombia, reports that before dawn on the 14th of June, 2007, its office was broken into and two computers were stolen. These computers contained sensitive information on people and churches that are active in work for peace and human dignity, and on people from churches that are victims and witnesses to human rights violations. The perpetrators of this criminal act apparently entered through the roof in the rear of the building before 3 am and tore out the wiring of the alarm system, although the alarm went off. They passed by 9 other computers, telephones, a safe, etc., and removed two specific computers located at the other end of the office. They also broke into the desk of the coordinator for a program for protection of persons at risk.

Here is a link to the JustaPaz website where you can find more info and participate in the action alert. If you haven’t yet sent letters to your congressfolks, the US Embassy in Colombia and Colombian officials about the FOR robbery, I encourage you to address both break-ins at the same time. Find a list of contacts here. This is a disturbing new trend and makes the already targeted work of human rights organizations and the Colombia communities we work with more precarious and vulnerable.

The follow up to the robbery of the FOR office/apartment in Bogotá has kept my teammates there super busy doing interviews with radio and TV stations, meeting with Colombian and International NGOs, meeting with Colombian Senators and Foreign Embassies and Colombian government officials. Back home our San Francisco office has met with Congress and some concerned members have written a letter to President Uribe expressing their full backing of an investigation into the robbery and their belief that more protection should be extended to human rights organizations working in Colombia. The subject of the FOR break-in was also broached in person when Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) had some face time with the Colombian President. Here in La Unión, we have felt very far away and a bit helpless or maybe hapless from up here. Knowing that sensitive information is now in the hands of someone who forcefully sought it out is unnerving. It has most definitely affected the community’s security but we don’t yet have a full understanding of to what degree. It’s as though the breath that we are usually holding, waiting for something terrible to happen was inhaled once again and this time with a bigger gulp of air.

Speaking of “wait and see”, the entire country seems to still be quite befuddled at President Uribe’s decision to release over 200 FARC prisoners. The news weekly, Semana laid out four possible reasons for the baffling move by the second-term President:

1. As the government contends, it is a bold strategy to negotiate peace: This is quickly overridden by well-warranted suspicion that this ex-incarceration is only a herald of plans to release convicted paramilitary leaders as well as congressmen ensnared in the para-politico scandal from the punitive judgment awaiting them.

2. Unblock the option for humanitarian exchange of kidnapped FARC prisoners: the release of Rodrigo Granda, the FARC member of highest rank who had been imprisoned, seems to signal that Uribe hopes to use his release and that of other FARC prisoners as a bargaining chip for the kidnap victims held by the FARC. The FARC has said it will not negotiate with the government until it is seeded a demilitarized zone and has repeatedly called Uribe’s government illegitimate and thus unworthy of entering into negotiations with.

3) To turn public opinion against the FARC: This seems to be likely but not very effective as the FARC is listed as a terrorist organization in the US and in Europe – and has held 3 US contractors hostage for the past three years. Public opinion has not exactly been on the side of the FARC and it has not affected their strategy in the least. However, some foreign governments, specifically France, have seemed to put more blame on the Colombian government than on the guerrilla group for the absence of a humanitarian accord to release kidnap victims.

4) Looking Towards Europe: The stuttering in Washington over aid to Colombia and the Free Trade Agreement have been received here as a sign of the faltering relationship between the US and Colombia. This prisoner release could be a grand gesture for the benefit of the new administration in France, as the new President Sarzkozy has made the release of former Colombian Presidential candidate and dual Colombian-French citizen Ingrid Betancourt, a priority of his government.


Semana concludes that none of these reasons are satisfactory or completely explain the prisoner release. The magazine says that it all seems to be simply a grand distraction to direct the country’s attention away from the para-political scandal that continues to unfold and involve many Uribe supporters. Only time will tell what becomes of this bizarre and unexpected move by the President. (To your right, a photo catching me not in my most non-violent moment, but instead slap fighting with one of my little brothers in the community. In the end we hugged it out. But I totally won)

Amidst this talk, news has arrived from back home that, surprise!, almost half of US military aid to Colombia is going directly to US Contractors. The AP article states: “U.S. defense contractors are receiving nearly half the money allotted by Washington to fight cocaine trafficking and leftist rebels in Colombia, throwing into doubt their mission to train Colombians to replace them. “ The State Department report shows that nearly $300 million of the roughly $630 earmarked for military aid is going to US contractors with Dyncorps International Inc, leading the way with $164 million for piloting the armed crop dusters seeking to eradicate coca production. Read more here.

More news from the land of the free indicates that the Foreign Affairs subcommittee of the House (the very same subcommittee I bemoaned in this here web space back in April) has decided to shift money away from Plan Colombia military aid and towards humanitarian aid. The house bill now contains a 55%-45% military-humanitarian aid split. Once taking into account the extra $150 million that goes to Colombian military aid out of the Defense Budget appropriations, that scores: Military Aid 65%, Humanitarian Aid 35%. Last year, also taking into account both the Foreign Ops and Defense appropriations, the military percentage was up at 83% and this year the administration requested 81% military aid. This seems a good time to reference the title of my blog. This is, I guess, some form of justice, limping very, very, very slowly. I remain skeptical and hesitate to call this piddling offering any kind of victory for human rights in Colombia.

For those of you back in the states, keep your ear to the ground as this legislation under the Foreign Aid Bill is set to hit the floor as early as today. Call or email your Representative and urge them to keep the 55-45 split intact. Republican Representatives are already rumored to be preparing a counter-amendment to rectify the perceived “imbalance”. In fact, my old pal, Dan Burton (R-IN), ranking republican of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee is at the front of the line, probably planning on introducing just such an amendment.

Young Steven comes ashore

Today I had my very first visitor. That young, guileless spirit of the open seas, who for a short time in Austin joined the land lubin’ pirates of the Good Ship Holly, found himself on a cargo ship from Panama headed towards the Gulf of Urabá. This is very much to be expected from the likes of young Steven Van Maren, who called from a beach not too far away and made plans to meet up in Apartadó. All night rains, a dangerously high river and prior accompaniment commitments meant we had all of 45 minutes to recap our past adventures before I sadly walked away from the only familiar faces who have graced my almost-doorstep. Young Steven and his sea-faring friend, Ernesto Perez (also formerly of the ATX and frequent summer guest of Holly Street) took off soon after on a bus to Medellín with my hastily written instructions for locating the night-time anarchist scene in the great mountain city – a scene any good pirate should find his way to. While there is nothing particularly Colombian about this picture of me and the boys I hope it serves as proof that it is possible to find your way through the Darian jungle and into my life. Young Steven and Young Ernie certainly did and I am grateful to them! Arghhhhh, mates, arghh.

Papayas grow on tall tall trees

The rains that just don’t seem to stop have stopped, or have at least let up a bit. This is a good thing because while walking up the other day I choose poorly and stepped into extra deep mud and my next step brought me right out of my boot. Some not-so-graceful balancing along with Mayra’s help brought my vulnerably socked foot back together with my entrenched boot. (Here a picture of Mireille not getting stuck in the muddy path, she is way more agile.) Life in this campo continues to be full of strange and wonderful missteps and moments like I have never known before. Yesterday we walked down the way to welcome the newest member of the Peace Community, a baby girl born just five days earlier. She and her mom had been brought up in a hammock just yesterday and are both in good health. The baby is so tiny and innocent. Birth in a community so afflicted by violence seems to me a hopeful testament reaffirming life. Yes, death and violence seems to pervade every aspect of life in the campo, but people are still being born into, what I like to think is, the promise of a better future.

After visiting with the tiny newest addition to our community, Mayra and I went over to Doña Lola’s house, the community’s second-to-oldest resident. Doña Lola’s face is filled with the enchanted crinkles and lines of a life lived in spite of obstacles and hardships. Her eyes twinkle with love every time she leans up to give you a kiss, regardless of how sweaty your condition. She pads off to her kitchen and back to offer us agua panela when we arrive from the hike up the mountain, opens up her kitchen and offers up her hands to us when we want to grind cacao or coffee, feeds us even when we aren’t hungry and gifts us the papayas that grow in her garden tree. Earlier that day we had passed by to poke some papaya’s out of the too-high-to-reach-or-(for us)-to-climb tree. I accidentally poked too hard at one and speared it on the stick, causing it to slide down the long pole I was using and land at Doña Lola’s feet. As papaya splattered at her feet and onto her apron, she just looked up at me, laughter in her eyes, and patted me on the back. It is so wonderful to have a grandmother here.

(Here is Lola´s porch in the daytime)Last night, we passed as night had just overtaken dusk. Doña Lola and her son, Ricardo, who is also old enough to warrant a “Don” in front of his name, sat eating dinner by candlelight. Their electricity was cut off long ago and they instead use candles to illuminate the dark night. Candles always seem to add a bit of romance to any ordinary night. The radio was tuned to the news station and Don Ricardo told us about the news of the massacre that had just happened the day before. This seemed more than the usual amount of senseless in scope as two drunken soldiers gunned down six civilians, including a little boy at a school outside of Bogotá. The soldiers were caught by the military and no motive was given other than alcohol mixed with an argument. Doña Lola shook her head and commented on the evils of liquor while I thought about a system so entrenched in violence that claims even the drunken soldiers amongst its victims.

Doña Lola brought out some café and a canister of dried milk for us to mix into it as the news turned to the upcoming games in the national soccer tournament. I looked out to the firmament from their open porch and was amazed to see the stars brightly shining down at us, unencumbered by celestial fog. The night was crisp and cool after all day rains and I realized that the recent constant rain had also translated into consistently cloudy night skies. These were the first stars I had seen in some time. The clear points of light reaching down were a perfect compliment to the café con leche, the unhurried conversation and the flickering candle light of Doña Lola’s inviting porch.

As we walked back to our house I thought about the jumble of news that had come out of the Colombia media in recent days; President Uribe’s out-of-nowhere announcement to release over 200 incarcerated FARC members (more on this news here), a confrontation between FARC and National Police that lead to deaths of 2 policemen and took place on a road to Sante Fe de Antioquia (where we just recently were for our retreat) the recent protests all over the country against the decision by Congress to shift money away from public education, and rumblings that the US Congress seems to be delaying a vote on the FTA giving we opponents hope that it might not pass.

So much is happening here that I can’t soak it all up from my technology-challenged perch let alone comprehend the meanings and implications of something as mind-boggling as Uribe’s decision to release FARC prisoners. And the robbery of our office/apartment in Bogotá somehow fits into this tangled landscape. (For more on the robbery, check out my teammate Janice’s blog) It is much easier to sit with community members on a clear-sky night and sip at a coffee while listening to their tried and true tales of life in La Unión. It should be as simple as that uncomplicated kind of communion with one another. But at the same time it is fast-paced and utterly incomprehensible in its grand scope. Sigh. As my teammates and I have taken to saying (stolen and adapted in good faith from a line in Blood Diamond): TIC, This is Colombia.


One teammate who I no longer get to exchange shrugs of “TIC” with is the one with whom I have shared all of my time until this point, the irreplaceable and utterly amazing, Mireille Evans. She is taking some time to travel around Colombia before heading back to Canada to find new ways to share her unflappable good spirit with the world. I miss her. Here she is walking off into the night, guiding one of the kiddies of the community back home.

FOR Bogota office robbed, records stolen: Take Action

The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) denounces what appears to be a politically motivated attack on its offices on June 2 in Bogotá, Colombia.

According to people who live in the same building as FOR, unknown persons forcibly entered the FOR house/office in Bogotá between 6 pm and 7 pm on June 2, breaking the lock and part of the door. The individuals stole the FOR’s two central computers that contain the organization’s records, including information on the accompaniment of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó. This community has been the target of attacks by the all the armed groups and is covered by protective measures from the Inter-American Court for Human Rights.

Recently, FOR has worked on delicate issues such as the murder of a member and ex-leader of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, Francisco Puerta; the use of demobilized combatants in the army operations; and the presence of and threats by paramilitaries in the San José de Apartadó district. Additionally, given the documented collaboration between Colombian military and civilian officials at the highest levels and paramilitaries, FOR has led efforts to end United States military aid to the Colombian Army, and has been active in opposing the Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Colombia.

The individuals destroyed electronic equipment, including part of a satellite phone stole clothing and cash but took out and did not steal a credit card and the passport of one of the FOR team members; as well as a television and other items of value that were in plain sight. In the days before the break-in, individuals had been observed watching the house on several occasions.

This incident constitutes a serious violation against an international human rights organization that gives protective unarmed accompaniment to threatened Colombians. The violation occurs in the context of threats against other human rights organizations working in Colombia, such as the Corporation for Juridical Liberty, which resulted in an urgent action alert issued by Amnesty International. Such a climate of intolerance is reflected in statements issued by Vice-President Francisco Santos at the Council of the Americas during his recent visit to Washington. According the daily newspaper El Tiempo (May 25, 2007), the vice-president accused human rights organizations of being motivated by purely economic interests. The organizations refuse to recognize the Uribe administration’s efforts “perhaps because if they do the donor will withdraw large amounts of money. This is a business too and they would be without a job,” Santos said.

FOR continues its work of accompaniment of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, the Antioquia Peasant Association, the Youth Network of Medellín, and other Colombian groups that work for justice and peace using nonviolent means.

Read more on the requested action here.