“We urge you to relocate to peace and the protection of human rights as the main leaders of American politics in Colombia “, is the call made by various institutions to the President of the United States, Joe Biden, in a letter sent this Monday.
In the letter, the organizations analyze the state of the peace agreement between the previous government and the FARC and set out some issues that, from their perspective, require implementation urgent.
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According to figures from Frontline Defenders ’Global 2020 Analysis, cited in the letter, 251 ex-combatants of the FARC they were killed in January of this year and Colombia remains the most dangerous country in the world for being a human rights defender.
In view of these facts, the organizations state that it is essential to protect the work of human rights defenders in the country.
“Colombian community leaders are in danger, precisely because they are building peace on the ground, while the government has not fulfilled its promises to protect communities, dismantle networks paramilitaries and bring the presence of civil status to former conflict zones, ”says the letter signed by Colombia Human Rights Committee, International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights, Washington Office on Latin America, Latin America Working Group, Oxfam America , Pax Christi USA, among others.
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In addition, they call on the Biden administration to send a joint message prioritizing issues such as the full implementation of the peace agreement and the promotion of a humanitarian agreement with the Eln.
They emphasize the need to “exclude the demobilized FARC (its political party, now called the Commons) from the list of terrorist organizations,” which would welcome the peace agreement and facilitate US support for reintegration. of the ex-combatants.
Integral System of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition
The letter also says the US must continue to support its work in the US to give, the Truth Commission ia la Missing Persons Search Unit. “We urge you to instruct the National Security Council to issue an interagency executive order in order to declassify U.S. documents on the conflict by the Truth Commission, as ordered for such commissions in Guatemala, El Salvador, Argentina and Brazil “.
They say that due to the humanitarian situation, the resurgence of violence and mass displacement in the territories, the implementation of the ethnic chapter of the peace agreement is urgent. “These humanitarian agreements help ensure that the civilian population is not caught in the crossfire of combat operations or forced to be recruited and that social leaders and women are protected from gender-based violence,” they say.
(Continue with: Duc’s response to the letter sent to him by President Biden)
rural reform
For signatory organizations, compliance with the principle of “democratization of proper use and access to land” could bring benefits in terms of illicit crops, as well as being one of the structural causes of conflict and violence. in rural areas. “They must discourage Colombian government initiatives that allow land that was intended for landless peasants to be handed over instead to the agro-industry, to be contrary to the spirit of the peace agreement and because they can increase conflict. rural “.
military support
They urge the Biden Government to “pressure the Colombian Government to hold high-level officials involved in more than 6,000 responsible extrajudicial executions. More than four years after the signing of the peace agreement, the U.S. military assistance package should be reduced and support for civil peacebuilding increased. “, Claim the institutions.
drugs
Another issue is the anti-drug policy in which they point out that the United States must accept the agreement in Havana, that is, work in collaboration with farmers and communities to eradicate and replace coca voluntarily. and sustainable. “We urge the United States not to restart aerial fumigation“Because it will be perceived as a weakening of the agreements and will make farmers and communities stop cooperating.”
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MARÍA ISABEL MORENO MUÑOZ
SCHOOL OF MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM THE TIME
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