Newswire

The murder of Colombian trade unionists by pro-government death squads continues. These murderers are directed by Colombian military officers trained at the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia. The Colombia Action Network says "Shut down the School of the Americas and shut down the 7 U.S. military bases in Colombia! The killing of trade unionists must stop!"

International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) ITUC OnLine
July 6, 2010

Brussels

The trade union world is again in mourning after the assassination of two more trade unionists in Colombia. The ITUC, together with its Colombia affiliates the CUT, the CGT and the CTC, has roundly condemned the murders, expressing its deep shock at the news of the killing of Nelson Camacho González, a member of the oil industry's united workers' union USO (Unión Sindical Obrera) and of Ibio Efrén Caicedo, an activist from the Antioquia teachers' association ADIDA (Asociación de Institutores de Antioquia).

by James Petras
June 27, 2010

Juan Manuel Santos, notorious Defense Minister in the regime of outgoing President Alvaro Uribe and closely identified with high crimes against humanity "won" the recent Presidential elections in Colombia, June 2010. The major electronic and print media CNN, FOX News, Washington Post, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the once liberal Financial Times (FT) hailed Santos election, as a great victory for democracy. According to the FT, "Colombia not Venezuela is (the) best model for Latin America" (FT 6/23/2010 p. 8). Citing Santos "overwhelming" margin – he garnered 69% of the vote, the FT claimed he won a "strong mandate" (FT 6/22/2010). In what has to be one of the most flagrant cover-ups in recent history, the media accounts exclude the most egregious facts about the elections and the profoundly authoritarian policies pursued by Santos over the past decade.

TOM HENNIGAN in Bogotá

Many men have been disappearing – only for families to find out the army had shot them

WHEN Luz Marina Bernal’s 26-year old son went missing in February 2008, she immediately raised the alarm. Fair Leonardo Porras Bernal had a mental age of nine, could not read or write, and never strayed too far from his home in Soacha, a gritty satellite town of Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

“He would never go off on his own. He would only go out with someone from the family. We searched hospitals, refuges, jails and filed a missing person report with the police, but there was no news until that August,” remembers Ms Bernal.

The news, when it came, stunned her. Fair Leonardo was dead, and had been buried in a common grave hundreds of kilometres away in the far north of the country. The army said they had killed him during combat with a group of guerrillas just four days after he went missing.

If you are going to the US Social Forum in Detroit we have three Colombia workshops that the Colombia Action Network is helping build. If you are going to the US Social Forum, we'd love to see you there.

Building a Movement to Combat Increased US Militarism
Wed, 6/23/2010 - 1:00pm - 5:30 pm
Cobo Hall: D3-19
1 Washington Blvd

The Social Movements and Revolution in Colombia: How did Ricardo Palmera become a prisoner of the U.S. Empire?
Thu, 06/24/2010 - 10:00am - 12:00pm
Wayne State University, Prentis 15, at 5201 Cass Ave.

No to U.S. Bases in Colombia! No to U.S. Intervention!
Thu, 06/24/2010 - 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Wayne State University, Old Main 1115, at 4841 Cass Ave.