Military murder leader of San Jose de Apartado Peace Community, Colombia

international | crime and justice | news report Sunday November 20, 2005 09:55 by cearbhuil - the friends of san jose ireland sanjose_ireland at hotmail dot com the bridge lispole dingle co kerry 086 0554665

Please phone Irish Dept of Foreign Affairs: 01 4082137 tell them you support San Jose

Since the founding of this Peace Community in 1997, San Jose has suffered assassinations, kidnappings, forced displacements and tortures by The COlombian Army. The President of Colombia wants to exterminate this peace community as they offer alternatives to slavery, poverty and dictatorship.

We don't know how to show our deepest pain and sadness
which we feel in these moments. In a new attack, the
Colombian military assassinate ARLEN SALAS DAVID,
leader of our community and coordinator of the
humanitarian zone, Arenas Altas. We would like to
share the facts of what took place so that they can be
judged in time and can be remembered in history:

On the 17th November, ARLEN SALAS and other six
members of the community were sowing corn in Arenas
Altas. On seeing them, the military fired various
shots towards them and then threw a grenade which fell
close to ARLEN. He was badly hurt. The military
continued shooting while ARLEN's colleagues tried to
help him but due to continuous shooting, they had to
take refuge behind trees. When the shootings died
down, they approached ARLEN to help him, but found him
already dead.

Those who were with ARLEN walked to San Josesito at
1pm to inform the community of what had happened.
Quickly a group made up of community members makes its
way with international accompaniers towards Arenas
Altas. At the same time a group made up of members of
the community from La Union also make their way
towards Arenas Altas. At around 5pm the two groups
meet with the military in Arenas Altas, in the farm of
Rodrigo Rodríguez. The military makes these members
of the community enter a house and begin accusing them
of being guerrillas, that they have only hurt
guerrilla fighters, they started shooting in the air
telling them that they are going to kill them, that
the community is a guerrilla community and that they
will exterminat this community. The majority of the
military there had two arms: one with which they walk
with constantly, and another arm seen to be used by
paramilitaries.

Suddenly a military group begin to shoot towards the
little village of Arenas Altas, and the families are
forced to leave their homes and hide. Various houses
are shot, and bullet shots have gone into the houses.
The military also shoots towards the school where the
school teacher and various children were present. The
troop said that they were being shot at from the
school but the teacher confronted them telling them
that that was totally false, that he was with the
kids, spread out on the floor while they were being
shot at.

In these shootings in the village of Arenas Altas,
HERNAN GOEZ, a member of the community was hurt. At
around 6:30pm, a delegation from the San Jose Apartado
Peace community arrives with the community human
rights defender, where ARLEN's body was found and they
carried the body to San Josecito. They also carried
the remnants of the grenade.

The facts are clear, we had already denounced the
military for various assassinations in the various
villages which today are unoccupied, such as the
massacre of LUIS EDUARDO, ALFONSO BOLIVAR and their
families. We already know the response and the
explanation given by the government and the general
attorney, they will say that we are guerrillas, they
will make a sham, all in total impunity, the victims
will be seen as the perpetrators. Nevertheless, we
know that a lot of people has seen the truth of what
has occurred, and we know that one day, all these
assassinations, all these crimes against humanity will
be brought to justice. We know that for the government
all our children are guerrillas, and for this reason,
the military shoots at them and kills them; for the
government we are only helpers of the guerrilla and
for this they wand to keep on destroying us. Even
though they will lie as always, international
organisations and the Human Rights Defender himself
have seen the horrors which the community faces. Only
8 days ago, Arlen was talking about the situation in
Arenas Altas with the Italian commission which visited
us, and he told them about all the threats and thefts
made by the military in the humanitarian zone of
Arenas Altas. He told them of our need for support and
help, of our fear of being exterminated. In the face
of our principles of community work group and
solidarity, once again another leader is killed. This
barbarity does not make us give up, in the contrary
our leaders show us the way towards following
alternative forms of working. Even in times of
darkness such as these, we will believe in future full
of hope.

We ask for national and international support for the
end of this extermination, so that people from the
humanitarian zone of Arenas Altas are not displaced,
which is the aim openly announced by the military. The
pain is so great that we are not able to speak loudly
enough, but we will carry on shouting for dignity, as
was taught to us by ARLEN's serious and dedicated work
as our leader. His two little sons will continue in
his footsteps, building a different future where our
life will be respected. ARLEN OUR TEARS ACCOMPANY THIS
HORROR BUT YOU ARE STILL WITH US, GIVING US LIFE,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOUR DEDICATION, ONE
DAY HISTORY WILL JUDGE THESE ASSASINS.

PEACE COMMUNITY OF SAN JOSE DE APARTADO
18th November 2005