Colombia: Attacks against civilian population

                          Case COL 281298

The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your URGENT  
intervention in the following situation in Colombia.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat has just been informed by various 
organizations, members of the OMCT network, including Agir Ensemble 
pour les Droits de l'Homme, the Committee on Solidarity with Political 
Prisoners and the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores de Colombia, 
Antioquia Section, of attacks carried out by military forces against 
peasant communities from Santo Domingo, Canho Verde and Canho 
Limon, displaced to Betoyes municipality of Tame, Department of 
Arauca.  These attacks were carried out as part of the operations against 
the guerillas.

According to the information, at 6.a.m. on December 22nd 1998 these 
persons  were the targets of  bombing and machine gunning in that 
sector, carried out by the Colombian air force using two helicopters and 
three warplanes, contrary to the provisions of  international humanitarian 
law and particularly common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. 

Observations

According to the information, the persons concerned had left their 
homes due to previous attacks on the part of the military against the 
civilian population during fighting which occurred on December 13th 1998 
between subversive forces and units of the XVIII Brigade of the National 
Army, in Santo Domingo and Flor Amarilla, in the rural jurisdiction of the 
Tame (Arauco)  municipality.

The population came out into the main street in order to signal to the 
planes and show that they were a civilian population. However the 
military planes continued to attack as a result of which approximately 20 
civilians were killed, including 5 children, and 20 more were gravely 
injured, among them several more  children.

According to information received this action led to the displacement of 
approximately 200 persons who are now victims of the indiscriminate 
attacks of the Colombian army.

Action requested 

Please write to the Colombian authorities urging them to:

i.	guarantee a thorough and impartial investigation into the events 
described above, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to 
trial and impose upon them the penal, civil and/or administrative 
sanctions provided by law;

ii.	comply with the provisions of common Article 3 of the Geneva 
Conventions;

  iii.ensure adequate reparation and compensation to the victims of 
    the indiscriminate attacks carried out by the military and 
    guarantee their safe return to their homes;

  iv. ensure at all times the respect of human rights and fundamental 
    liberties in accordance with national laws, and international 
    standards in human rights and humanitarian law.

  Addresses:


ANDRES PASTRANA ARANGO, Presidente de la República, Kra.8 n.7-
26  Santa Fe de Bogotá
Tlf: 571/ 284 33 00   Fax: 571/ 286 74 34 - 286 79 37 - 284 21 86, Email: 
pastrana@presidencia.gov.co

NESTOR HUMBERTO MARTINEZ, Ministro del Interior, Kra.8  n.8-09 
Santa Fe de Bogotá,  Fax: 571/ 341 97 39

RODRIGO LLOREDA, Ministro de la Defensa, Av. del Dorado con 
Kra.52, Santa Fe de Bogotá,  Fax: 571/ 222 18 74

JAIME BERNAL CUELLAR, Procurador General de la Nación, Kra 5 n. 15-
80 Santa Fe de Bogotá
Fax: 571/  342 97 23

ALFONSO GÓMEZ MENDEZ, Fiscal General de la Nación, Cll.35 n. 4-31 
Santa Fe de Bogotá,  Fax: 571/ 570 20 22

JOSÉ FERNANDO CASTRO CAICEDO, Defensor del Pueblo, Cll.55 n.10-
32 Santa Fe de Bogotá
Fax: 571/ 346 12 25

Geneva, 28th December 1998

The Human Rights Action Network, a part of Derechos Human Rights, distributes appeals on behalf of victims of human rights violations. You are invited to join the network. Please check the date of the present action and do not write if it's over a month old.