From the Colombia Support Network (CSN [2]), July 14:
On July 13, 2007 at 12:15 PM two men who had the previous day identified themselves as members of the "Black Eagles" paramilitary organization, stopped a public transport vehicle, forced Peace Community member Dairo Torres out of the vehicle, and shot and killed him. Dairo was the coordinator of the Alto Bonito humanitarian zone, located about four hours walk from the San Josecito Peace Community, since 2004. He was a serious, responsible leader in the hamlets in the San Josecito area.
Dairo was murdered less than two minutes drive from a police checkpoint on the road between Apartadó and San Jose. His murderers had been seen at about 9:10 AM talking to and sitting next to the police at the checkpoint. It is clear that the police were complicit in the murder of Dairo.
Please write to President Uribe to tell him the international community supports the Peace Community and is watching what happens to Community members. Ask him why the paramilitaries keep killing with impunity in association with the Police, as has frequently happened and as if no demobilization of paramilitaries had happened at all. We all expect an investigation to be carried out by his government, with the murderers arrested and tried for their heinous crime. We also expect the Uribe government to bring the Police to justice for their collaboration with the paramilitaries in this killing.
Please also write to your representatives in Congress to tell them of the collaboration of Uribe¹s police force with murderers and ask them to stop funding of the Colombian military and police until these crimes stop and prosecution of those responsible is carried out.
See our last posts on Colombia and the paras [3], and San José de Apartadó Peace Community [4].
