From: hrcoord@igc.apc.org (Human Rights Coordinator)
Newsgroups: soc.rights.human
Subject: South America: Alert!
Date: 8 Oct 92 00:22:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1476700595:000:6819
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Oct  7 17:22:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: South America: Alert!

/* Written  5:17 pm  Oct  7, 1992 by geonet@gn.apc.org in igc:omct.sostortur */

CASE  CHL  061092
At the request of CODEPU, member of our network, we call upon you to
intervene on behalf of the following situation in Chile.
Brief description of the situation
1 /  On 26 September 1992 nine political prisoners, representing some
40 political prisoners who have been in jail since the military
dictatorship, began an indefinite hunger strike to denounce the
deadlock reached in the process of their release.
The prisoners who have gone on a hunger strike ahve been identified
as : Richard LEDESMA, Hector MATURANA, Jose UGARTE, Marcos PAULSEN,
Pedro PINONEZ, Max DIAZ, Carlos RIOS, Jorge ESCOBAR and Ivan CONCHA.
This strike by the political prisoners is a demonstration of their
impotence and desperation in the face of the weakness of the judicial
system which is suffering from deliberate obstruction or negligence
by the judicial, civil and military organs, in the treatment of
pending cases. To date, this situation has impeded the release of the
prisoners. This is seen as a failure of the state to find a solution
to the problem of human rights violations.
2 /  On 20 August 1992 the Optional Protocol of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was officially promulgated. In
accordance with this declaration, the State of Chile officially
acknowledges the competence of the Committee on Human Rights
(established by this same Covenant), to receive and examine the
reports presented to it by individuals, particularly those who allege
that they have been victims of human rights violations.
However, in this same decree, the Government of Chile announced that
it recognises the competence of the Committee on Human Rights "...
only with respect to those incidents which occur after the Optional
Protocol becomes operational for this state and, in addition, only
with respect to those on-going incidents whose initial stages began
subsequent to the 11th of March 1990."  In reality, this declaration
constitutes a reservation.
While recognising that the promulgation of the Optional Protocol by
the Government of Chile will have positive effects on the protection
of human rights in the future, CODEPU has nevertheless voiced its
concern about the above mentioned reservation.  In addition, the
organisation has warned that the said reservation is a "genuine
negation of justice" for the victims of those human rights violations
that took place during the military government, who are not only
confronted with obstacles arising from national legislations but who,
in addition, are unable to resort to international institutions.
CODEPU further notes that this reservation will have serious
consequences in relation to crimes against humanity which occurred
prior to 1978. Indeed, this reservation makes it impossible to resort
to international institutions to raise these incidents and those
responsible for these violations will benefit from impunity by virtue
of the law of amnesty decreed which has impeded internal inquiries.
Action requested
Please write to the Chilean authorities immediately demanding that
they take all measures in their power  to safeguard the lives and
physical and psychological integrity of the hunger strikers, and all
other political prisoners and insist that they accelerate the pending
judicial cases in order to insure the swift release of these people
as foreseen in the law. Congratulate them on their initiative of
ratifying the Optional Protocol of the International Convention on
Civil and political Rights and exhort them to ensure individuals the
possibility of having recourse to international institutions to raise
all acts or omissions by the state or its agents that led to
violations of their rights and fundamental freedoms.
Addresses
S.E. Patricio Aylwin Azocar, Presidente de la Republica, Palacio de
la Moneda, Santiago de Chile, Chile.  Telex 241379  //  Sr. Francisco
Cumplido Cereceda, Ministro de Justicia, Palacio de la Moneda,
Santiago de Chile, Chile.  Telex: idem.
6 October 1992
Please inform us of any action undertaken, (kindly mention the code
number of the appeal in any related correspondence).

CASE   COL 071092
Various Colombian organisations, amongst them the Corporacion
Colectivo de Abogados (CCA), the Comite Permanente de Defensa de los
Derechos Humanos (CPDH), the Comite de Solidaridad con los Presos
Politicos (CSPP), all members of our network, have asked for URGENT
intervention on behalf of the following situation in Colombia.
Brief description of the situation:
Information received has drawn our attention to the fact that on 2
October 1992, in Dantas, in the municipality of Ibague, troops of the
VI Brigade of the Colombian army arrested Messrs. Fidel Ernesto
SANTANA, a sociologist, Guillermo Antonio PARRA, a journalist, and
Francisco Elias RAMOS, a social researcher. These people are all
citizens of the Dominican Republic and were in the country to
participate in an event to mark the campaign " 500 Years of Popular
and Indigenous Resistance".
According to the information, the detainees were taken to the
barracks of the VI Brigade and subjected to torture. On 3 October, at
17:00 hours, they were handed over to the DAS (Departamento
Administrativo de Seguridad) where the authorities allowed the
interrogators of the VI Brigade to continue torturing and
interrogating these people.
It would appear that these people are still in detention and as a
result there are serious concerns for their lives and physical and
psychological integrity.
Action requested :
Please send URGENT letters to the Colombian authorities urging them
to release Messrs. Fidel Ernesto SANTANA, Guillermo Antonio PARRA and
Francisco Elias RAMOS immediately and to guarantee their physical and
psychological integrity at all times. Exhort them to open a thorough
and impartial inquiry into the above mentioned incidents in order to
identify those responsible and punish them in accordance with the
law. Insist that they ensure the respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms in the country at all times.
Addresses :
S.E. Cesar Gaviria Trujillo, Presidente de la Republica de Colombia,
Palacio de Narino, Bogota, Colombia. Fax (+ 571) 2867434
Dr. Carlos Gustavo Arrieta, Procurador General de la Nacion, Carrera
5 No. 15-80, Bogota, Colombia.   Fax (+ 571) 2840472
Dr. Andres Conzales Posso, Ministro de Justicia, Calle 26, No. 27-48,
Bogota, Colombia.  Fax (+ 571) 2221874
Dra. Mariana Escobar, Consejeria Presidencial para los Derechos
Humanos, Calle 7, No. 6-54, Bogota, Colombia.  Fax (+ 571) 2842186

7 October 1992
Please inform us of any action undertaken, (kindly mention the code
number of the appeal in any related correspondence).
LAYOUT 000