Impunity Rate Abysmal for Colombian Trade Union Murders; Only Three Convictions in First Half of 2007

In late September, USLEAP released a new report detailing the continued levels of impunity for murders of Colombian trade unionists. The report, based on July 2007 data provided by the Colombian Ministry of Social Protection, examines the homicide convictions for trade union murders achieved since the inauguration of President Alvaro Uribe in August 2002 and finds that in the first six months of 2007, convictions were achieved in only three cases.

The issue of impunity for trade union violence has become a major obstacle for President Uribe this year as he lobbies for a Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. A Congressional delegation, led by Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutirrez to promote the U.S.-Colombia FTA, visited Colombia in mid-September. According to Reuters, President Uribe told the delegates, “The facts show what this government proposed from the beginning, that Colombia no longer tolerates impunity.”

According to the USLEAP report, the Colombian government data demonstrates convictions for trade union murders in a total of 40 cases for the over 1200 murders that occurred between 1996 and 2007.

Of the nearly 400 murders that have occurred during the presidency of Mr. Uribe, there had been convictions in only 10 cases.

For the past two years, the Colombian government has been promising the International Labor Organization that it would make progress on prosecuting a limited number of priority cases, and that it was allocating extra resources to do so. As of January 2007, the list of “emblematic” cases, developed in consultation with Colombia’s three major trade union organizations, had grown to 234, to which the government had assigned 13 special prosecutors and 78 investigators.

The resources expended on this program, however, have achieved few results according to the CUT, Colombia’s largest trade union federation. The CUT reports that there have been convictions in only 15 of the priority cases. The federation expressed frustration with the government’s limited progress and concern that the prosecutions were not taking the context of anti-union violence in Colombia seriously.

Colombia Tops Global Trade Union Murder List, Again

The International Trade Union Confederation released 2006 figures for global trade union violence in September, confirming that Colombia continues to be the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists. According to the ITUC report, 144 trade unionists were killed globally in 2006. Colombia again claims over half of the murders (78 by ITUC numbers). Globally, there was a significant increase over the 115 trade unionists murdered in 2005.

Soldiers Sentenced in Arauca Case

In late August, four Colombian soldiers were each sentenced to 40 years in prison for the killing of three trade union leaders in Arauca. The three leaders, Jorge Prieto, Leonel Goyeneche, and Hector Alirio Martinez, were killed on August 5th, 2004 by members of Colombia’s 18th Brigade, which was receiving counterinsurgency training from the U.S. Special Forces to protect an oil pipeline that is partially owned by U.S.-based Occidental Petroleum.

The soldiers reportedly stripped the union leaders down to their underwear before killing them. They then put guns in their hands to create the illusion that they died in battle.

This became the most high-profile case of Colombian trade union murders and was often cited as an example of the active involvement of the Colombian military in violence against trade unionists. The government of Colombia was under pressure from several Democrats in Congress to conclude this case prior to consideration for a Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

The Washington Post quoted political commentator Daniel Coronell on this: “This proves what human rights groups and the United Nations had long reported, that some sectors of the army had the practice of killing civilians and passing them off as guerrillas.”

While USLEAP welcomes the convictions, the Uribe government’s overall record on impunity remains dismal.

Cuts in Military Aid to Colombia Approved by Full Senate

The House and Senate have approved a foreign aid bill that includes significant cuts to military aid to Colombia and a modest increase in economic and social aid. Final details still have to be reconciled in a Senate-House conference committee, but several important improvements are expected in the final version of the bill:

(1) Significant cuts in overall military aid and funds for aerial spraying. Military aid was cut by $156 million in the House version, but this was scaled back on the Senate side.

(2) Increased funds set aside for victims of violence and for investigating and prosecuting human rights abuses.

(3) A greater percentage of the military aid Colombia receives will include human rights conditionality. This means that the Colombian government will have to demonstrate some degree of improvement in human rights conditions before receiving a portion of the aid package.

Total U.S. aid for Colombia for next year will be at least $680 million, with at least $440 million of it in military and police aid. While the above improvements still leave the aid package unbalanced, they represent an important reversal in previous trends in congressional policy on Colombia