Community Action for
Justice in the Americas

Action Alerts

February 10, 2006

Dear friends,

Sonia López informed me that Alirio Sepúlveda Jaimes, a community leader, was shot to death in her city of Saravena on February 4. Sonia is the president of the Joel Sierra Regional Human Rights Committee and she visited Montana and the Northwest on a speaking tour in April 2005. Sonia said that Alirio was killed by Edgar Guiza Gamboa – the paramilitary commander in Saravena who has been frequently seen with soldiers from the intelligence section of the Saravena military base. Some of those soldiers provided Guiza Gamboa with transportation after he killed Alirio.

Alirio and 42 other community leaders from Saravena were detained and imprisoned on October 12, 2002 during the first mass arrest in the state of Arauca. Dozens of other community leaders were imprisoned in other mass arrests on August 21 and October 21, 2003. Alirio was eventually released from prison because of a lack of evidence against him. Following his release, he began to receive death threats. Sonia is very concerned that other community leaders from Saravena who have been imprisoned and released could also now be killed.

Sonia is asking people to e-mail the following message to various government officials in Colombia. Here are the e-mail addresses of those officials, the message in Spanish, and the English translation of the message. You can just copy and paste the Spanish message into one e-mail with the addresses of all the officials. Please include your name, city, state, and country at the end of the message. The subject could be: Asesinato y Medidas Urgentes en Saravena (Murder and Urgent Measures in Saravena). Your help in sending this message would be very appreciated by Sonia and our other friends in Saravena.

In solidarity,

Scott Nicholson

Community Action for Justice in the Americas

E-mail addresses for President Uribe, Vice President Santos, Presidential Human Rights Office, Attorney General, Defense Minister, and the United Nations Human Rights Commission:

auribe@presidencia.gov.co, fsantos@presidencia.gov.co, cefranco@presidencia.gov.co, fibarra@presidencia.gov.co, contacto@fiscalia.gov.co, siden@mindefensa.gov.co, oacnudh@hchr.org.co

Subject: Asesinato y Medidas Urgentes en Saravena

Message:
Me dirijo a usted para denunciar el asesinato de Alirio Sepúlveda Jaimes en Saravena, Arauca el 4 de febrero; y para pedirle que tome medidas urgentes para proteger a las otras personas que han sido judicializados en Arauca y que temen que podrían ser asesinados como fue asesinado el Sr. Sepúlveda.

Sr. Sepúlveda fue asesinado en Saravena a la altura de la carrera 13 con diagonal 30 (solamente una cuadra y media de una garita policial) por Edgar Guiza Gamboa. Después de asesinar a Sr. Sepúlveda, Guiza se dirigió en un vehículo a la Plaza del Mercado. Aproximadamente a las 3 de la tarde, fue recogido por reconocidos miembros de la Sección 2 del Grupo de Caballería Mecanizado Número 18, Gabriel Revéiz Pizarro, de Saravena. Guiza se hizo pasar como un reinsertado de la guerrilla en los procesos en contra de varios ciudadanos de Arauca, y luego manifestaba que era el comandante de los paramilitares en Saravena.

Sr. Sepúlveda fue detenido en la redada masiva del 12 de noviembre de 2002. Luego fue dejado en libertad debido a la falta de pruebas en su contra. Desde ese momento, él estaba recibiendo amenazas y hostigamientos. Cuarenta y dos otros dirigentes sociales fueron detenidos el mismo 12 de noviembre. Se realizaron otras redadas masivas el 21 de agosto y el 21 de octubre de 2003. Las personas que fueron detenidos en esas redadas y en otras ocasiones, y después fueron dejados en libertad, temen que podrían ser asesinados como fue asesinado el Sr. Sepúlveda. Le pido que investigue y esclarezca el asesinato de Sr. Sepúlveda, y los vínculos entre Edgar Guiza Gamboa y miembros del Batallón Revéiz Pizarro; y que tome medidas urgentes para proteger a las otras personas que han sido judicializados en Arauca y, así, evitar más asesinatos.

Atentamente,

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

English Translation:
I’m writing to you to denounce the murder of Alirio Sepúlveda Jaimes in Saravena, Arauca on February 4; and to ask that you take urgent measures to protect the other people that have been imprisoned and then released in Arauca, and that fear that they could be murdered as was Mr. Sepúlveda.

Mr. Sepúlveda was murdered in Saravena at 13th Avenue and Diagonal 30 (just a block-and-a-half from a police checkpoint) by Edgar Guiza Gamboa. After murdering Mr. Sepúlveda, Guiza drove to the Market Plaza. At about 3 P.M., he was picked up by known members of Section 2 [Intelligence] of the Mechanized Cavalry Group Number 18, Gabriel Revéiz Pizarro, of Saravena. Guiza testified as a former guerrilla in trials against various Arauca residents, and later stated that he was the commander of the paramilitaries in Saravena.

Mr. Sepúlveda was detained in the mass arrest of November 12, 2002. He was later released because of the lack of evidence against him. Since his release, he had been receiving threats and harassment. Forty two other social leaders were detained that November 12. There were other mass arrests on August 21 and October 21, 2003. The people that were detained in those mass arrests and on other occasions, and later released, fear that they could be murdered as was Mr. Sepúlveda. I ask that you investigate and clarify the murder of Mr. Sepúlveda, and the connections between Edgar Guiza Gamboa and the members of the Revéiz Pizarro Batallion; and that you take urgent measures to protect the other people that have been detained and then released in Arauca and, thus, prevent any more murders.