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Colombia: News & Updates

Colombia has the world’s second largest population of internally displaced persons (five million) due to the half-century internal armed conflict—the longest-running war in the Western Hemisphere (since 1964). Control for territory and popular support among the three main groups (left-wing rebel forces FARC & ELN, right-wing paramilitaries, Colombian police/military) has left 220,000 killed, 75% of them non-combatants.  Since 2000, the US has exacerbated the violence by sending more than $9 billion in mostly military assistance. Colombia, which has both Pacific and Atlantic coastlines, holds strategic interest for the US for global trade and military posturing.

   

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Event
38th Annual Commemoration of the Martyrs
November 4, 2018

Reserved seats: $35
Group tables for 8 or more: $30 per person
Walk-ins: $45 at the door
Keynote speaker only: $10 advance/ $15 at the door

Call 216.961.0003 and leave a message with your name and phone, or reserve at http://commemoration2018.eventbrite.com/

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RRN Letter
RRN Letter: Colombia 9/21/2018
September 21, 2018
Death threats against Afro-descendant leaders in Colombia involved in the peace process, particularly in Cauca Department. We are particularly concerned for the safety of human rights defenders Luis Alfredo Bonilla, Gary Escobar, and Roassana Mejía Caicedo.
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RRN Letter
RRN Letter: Colombia 8/25/2018
August 25, 2018
Attacks against indigenous leaders in Colombia, particularly in the Southwest (departments of Valle del Cauca, Cauca, Nariño). According to human rights organizations in Colombia, more than 120 social leaders have been assassinated in the first six months of 2018, 40% of them in the Southwest.
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RRN Letter
RRN Letter: Colombia, 7/22/2018
July 22, 2018
There is an alarming rate of assassinations of social leaders in Cauca Department, Colombia. On July 3 the bodies of seven men were found on a road in the municipality of Argelia. They had been shot at point blank range with visible signs of torture and other ill-treatment.
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RRN Letter
RRN Letter: Colombia, 7/21/2018
July 21, 2018
The paramilitary group Águilas Negras (Black Eagles) threatened in recent email and social media communication to kill a number of individuals, organizations and journalists. The message vowed to “exterminate” all human rights defenders and social leaders, calling them “guerrillas in disguise.”
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RRN Letter
RRN Letter: Colombia, 6/25/2018
June 25, 2018
More than 200 indigenous Nasa Embera Chamí people from La Delfina reservation in Buenaventura (West), Colombia, have been displaced following an armed attack on a member of their community. The National Indigenous Organization (ONIC) reports that 80 women (5 pregnant), 90 men, and 80 children are are currently confined in a nearby school. They are in need of food, clothing, medicine, basic shelter items (tents, blankets), and access to health services.
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Event
Embrace the Light Against the Darkness of ICE
June 16, 2018

This weekend is Father's Day.

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Event
Cleveland March Against ICE: Families Belong Together
June 14, 2018

This march is in response to the horrific abuses of immigrants, their children and families. Marches will take place across the country on June 14th with Families Belong Together. Below is the mission statement provided in both Spanish and English.

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RRN Letter
RRN Letter: Colombia, 6/14/2018
June 14, 2018
On May 17 there was an attack on the binational indigenous Yukpa people living in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander Department. Jesuit Refugee Service has reported that 106 indigenous people, including 56 children, were forced to move in search of refuge and assistance from the local authorities. Some were subsequently displaced to the Venezuelan border.
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RRN Letter
RRN Letter: Colombia, 6/12/2018
June 12, 2018
Massive arrests of dozens of elected community leaders and human rights defenders in Colombia on April 23: Among them are members of the Black Communities’ Process (PCN), an internationally recognized organization that has worked to dismantle illegal armed groups’ activities in Afro- descendant territories.
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