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British MPs Attack
Colombia Military Aid
MPs from all parties are calling for an end to all
UK military aid to Colombia, citing murders and
human rights abuses by the country's security
forces. The MPs have launched a TUC-backed group
called Friends of Colombia.
Thousands of trade unionists and human rights
activists have disappeared or been killed or jailed
in Colombia.
The UK Foreign Office said it shared many of the
MPs' concerns, but added: "We do not believe that
isolating Colombia will help solve its problems."
"Quite the opposite, we believe that we have a
strong interest in helping Colombia address its
problems of violence and exclusion, human rights
abuses and illegal drugs. We cannot turn our back on
these problems," the Foreign Office said.
Campaigners and MPs say they do not want to isolate
Colombia, but to divert military aid to humanitarian
work.
Millions of Colombians have been displaced by the
civil conflict there, which spans more than four
decades and involves left-wing rebels, right-wing
paramilitaries and drug traffickers.
Some 109 trade unionists have been killed since
2007, with teaching being the worst affected sector.
This month two members of teaching union Asedar were
killed in the same week in the northern Arauca
region. The first, Pablo Rodriguez Garavito, was
shot by gunmen in a classroom where he worked.
Other groups such as students, journalists,
agricultural and oil workers are also regularly
targeted, threatened and killed in Colombia.
The Colombian authorities say the death toll is
lower than humanitarian and foreign governments
report, and it is working to improve human rights
and levels of impunity in the country's military.
In Colombia an inquiry is currently under way into
the cases of some 1,500 civilians believed murdered
by troops since 2004.
In May 20 soldiers were arrested and accused of
killing civilians and presenting them as rebels or
paramilitaries to inflate army statistics in their
security drive.
Last year, 27 soldiers and officers were fired when
the scandal came to light.
The launch of the new parliamentary group of MPs on
Tuesday heard from director of human rights at
Colombia's TUC-equivalent, the CUT (Central Unitaria
de Trabajadores), Luis Alberto Vanegas.
He said despite claims to the contrary the human
rights situation in Colombia was "getting worse". As
well as assassinations the CUT had registered more
than 550 different types of human rights violations,
he said.
He said five members of the CUT's executive
committee had received death threats by email, phone
and by delivery of mock funeral wreaths to their
offices.
"I myself have been harassed and increasingly
followed by cars. I worry that this could end in
assassination without forewarning," he told the BBC.
General secretary of the British Trades Union
Congress (TUC) Brendan Barber told MPs at the
meeting that the "appalling" levels of human rights
abuses would be further highlighted by the new
group.
"This represents a stepping up of Parliamentary
activity," he said.
The group agreed to request a meeting with Foreign
Secretary David Miliband, lobby MEPs about trade
with Colombia, and co-ordinate questions to the
Foreign Office about how much it was spending on
military aid and whom was benefiting.
The UK has never revealed the total amount it has
spent on anti-drugs work with the Colombia army,
citing "security concerns".
A Parliamentary Early Day Motion (EDM) on aid to
Colombia has attracted 242 MPs' signatures, making
it the fourth most supported of 1,891 EDMs.
The motion - sponsored by Manchester Central MP and
chair of the new group Tony Lloyd - refers to a
statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights, who believes the Colombian security forces
to be involved in "widespread and systematic"
killings of civilians.
It also welcomed the findings of the Foreign Affairs
Select Committee which said UK military assistance
to Colombia was "inappropriate" given the "serious"
human rights situation there.
In March Foreign Secretary David Miliband announced
an end to bilateral aid projects with the Colombian
Ministry of Defence, which it said had been aimed at
"human rights and humanitarian de-mining" projects
with the country's army.
But he said the UK would continue to fund other
human rights work and counter-narcotics projects,
including a £900,000 contribution to a UN programme.
In his statement Mr Miliband said the government
"shared the concerns of many in the House that there
are officers and soldiers of the Colombian Armed
Forces who have been involved in, or allowed,
abuses".
But UK-based humanitarian group Justice for Colombia
(JFC) said while it welcomed the partial change in
policy the UK's continued involvement in
counter-narcotics projects remained and lacked
transparency.
A JFC study on military aid said the Colombian
military made "no distinction between
counter-narcotics and counter-insurgency
operations", and used both as a pretext for
targeting civilians, trade unionists and human
rights activists.
General Secretary of the UK's National Union of
Journalists, and chairman of JFC, Jeremy Dear said
it was "unacceptable" for any foreign country to
provide aid to the military.
"Colombia does need foreign assistance, but for
things such as employment, housing, health and
education projects - things that will really benefit
the people," he said.
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