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Condemnation of latest killings in Colombia

Issue date

Mr. Fernando Alzate Donoso

Minister Plenipotentiary
Embassy of Colombia
3 Hans Crescent
London
SW1X 0LN

your ref

Dear Minister

Assassinations of Colombian Trade Unionists

On behalf of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) representing British workers and the 6.5 million members of our affiliated unions I regret that I have to write once again to raise our concerns in the strongest possible terms over the assassinations of three more trade unionists in Colombia in recent weeks:

Gustavo Gomez, a member of the SINALTRAINAL union and an employee of Nestle-Comestibles la Rosa SA, was shot 10 times on his doorstep on 21 August. Sr. Gomez was the 12th SINALTRINAL member at Nestles to be killed this year;

Mauricio Antonio Monsalve Vasquez's body was found 10 days after he disappeared in the municipality of Ituango. Sr. Vasquez is the 13th teacher to be murdered so far this year; and

Fredy Diaz Ortiz, a member of the prison workers' union AEINPEC, was killed outside the Vallendupar maximum security prison on 22 August.

Your government has gone to great pains to argue that there has been a dramatic fall in the number of trade unionists being assassinated. Tragically the facts on the ground continue to contradict that.

The ongoing killings - which as we have already highlighted this year are continuing to run at the rate of one a week - indicate that contrary to the assurances given by your Government to the international community, little is being done to safeguard the lives of trade union members and activists in Colombia, or to investigate and prosecute such murders.

I must again restate our position that until this situation is rectified, the British trade union movement will continue to urge our own Government to end their political and military support for the Colombian Government and oppose the signing of any bilateral trade agreements between the EU and Colombia.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding what measures are being taken to find and prosecute the murderers in these cases.

Yours sincerely

BRENDAN BARBER

General Secretary

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