B4-0511, 0538, 0552 and 0560/97

Resolution on Colombia

The European Parliament,

A. whereas the European Parliament delegation visited the offices of the Colombian human rights organization 'Centro de Investigación y Educación Popular' (CINEP), during its most recent official visit in September 1996,

B. whereas it has repeatedly condemned violence on all sides in the Colombian conflict,

C. deeply concerned by the fact that hundreds of thousands of Colombians have had to leave their homes and move to other places within the country in order to escape from violence,

D. noting that most of the murders or abductions have remained unpunished, and denouncing in particular the murder of Mr Josué Giraldo, a human rights campaigner who came to give evidence to the European Parliament during a conference on human rights in Colombia,

The European Parliament,

1. Expresses its deep shock at the murder on 19 May 1997 at the CINEP of the human rights worker Mario Calderón, his wife Elsa Alvarado Calderón, and her parents by illegal paramilitary forces;

2. Calls on the Colombian Government and judicial authorities to investigate this murder thoroughly and to seek to bring its perpetrators to justice; is aware, in this connection, of the effort made by the Colombian Government in appointing a special group of police investigators who, under orders from the Human Rights Unit of the Public Prosecutor's Office, will carry out the investigation;

3. Expresses its deep concern at this evidence of increased and unprovoked paramilitary violence against non-governmental organizations whose only crime is to seek a non-violent solution to the conflict;

4. Extends its sympathy and support to the friends and colleagues of Mario Calderón and to all who share his commitment to upholding internationally recognized standards of human rights;

5. Calls on the rebel groups, in the context of their negotiations with the Colombian Government, to release the seventy soldiers who have been in their custody since August 1996, as a positive response to the demilitarization of Caguán, an area covering approximately 13 000 km2;

6. Welcomes the setting up of the permanent office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, co-funded by the Commission, and trusts that it will be able to make an effective contribution to respect for human rights and that its reports on the situation in the country will be forwarded to Parliament;

7. Welcomes the fact that the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) has granted the sum of ECU 4.5 million to cover the immediate needs of the people displaced because of the violence;

8. Welcomes the fact that the Colombian Government has clearly reaffirmed the legitimacy of the non-governmental organizations and the social movement and calls for the adoption without delay of effective measures to protect their members;

9. Welcomes the recent creation of an office attached to the Presidency of Colombia which will be responsible for persons uprooted by violence, its brief covering action against forced displacement and assistance for the victims of this phenomenon;

10. Recalls the conclusions of the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions and calls on the Colombian Government to implement special protection programmes capable of responding effectively to the concerns of the large number of human rights observers and organizations;

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Colombian Government, the United Nations Human Rights Commission and to CINEP in Bogotá, Colombia.