On January 2, 2004, under the orders of the U.S. government and the CIA, Ecuadorian and Colombian forces kidnapped and arrested Colombian revolutionary Simon Trinidad. 20 years detained and imprisoned is 20 too many. That needs to change immediately, and conditions are better than ever for activists in the U.S. and Colombia to push for his freedom.

A member of the revolutionary organization and army of the people, the FARC, since 1987, Trinidad was a leading thinker and peace negotiator. Acting in that role, Trinidad’s and the FARC’s peace-seeking efforts have been routinely sabotaged by the U.S. government and the far-right Colombian oligarchy.

How does a Colombian revolutionary fighting for his own people, in his own country, end up on trial in the U.S.? After four sham trials in Washington D.C., Trinidad was sentenced to 60 years solitary confinement in the supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

As Trinidad languished under repressive “Special Administrative Measures” in Colorado, the Colombian peace process bypassed him and was ratified in 2016. This was despite international solidarity activists and the FARC demanding Trinidad be freed to help Colombia navigate the difficult peace. The Colombian Peace Accords did lead to the creation of a special court, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP). Now the JEP courts are calling for the U.S. government to allow Simon Trinidad to participate. The JEP wants to question Simon Trinidad in an effort to bring clarity, truth and justice.

There is a transformed political landscape in Colombia with a progressive, former guerrilla, former prisoner holding office. President Gustavo Petro is showing initiative and independence. Petro’s foreign minister, a conservative, is just the person to ask the U.S. government under President Joe Biden to repatriate Simon Trinidad back to Colombia. It is a good move to advance the continuing struggle for peace.

It is in these conditions that the movement to “Free Simon Trinidad!” finds itself. The situation is far more favorable than before. However, “where the broom does not reach, the dust will not sweep itself.”

We need to continue to organize and support Colombian requests to repatriate Simon Trinidad and pressure President Biden to oblige. To date, the JEP has yet to receive a response from the U.S. government since its first communication in March 2023 that it wants access to question Trinidad. Forces are in motion in Colombia, and activists in the U.S. need to do our part to demand freedom for an unjustly imprisoned revolutionary.

Let 2024 be the final year of U.S. imprisonment for Simon Trinidad!

#International #Colombia #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalPrisoners #SimonTrinidad #FARC #Feature

Sonia is from an impoverished rural family in the Department of Huila, Colombia. Her childhood was one of constant work in the fields and her family could only afford to keep her in school through the second grade. She went to school shoeless and spoke about her “first pair of shoes that I remember wearing, I must have been somewhere around 14 years old.”

This poverty, and rampant state violence in Colombia, led Sonia to take up arms and join the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.) Sonia became a respected member of the FARC, serving in its Southern Block defending rural communities against paramilitary terror and Colombian military aggression.

In 2004 Colombia began to extradite captured FARC members to the United States as part of the joint U.S.-Colombian war against Colombian rebels. The U.S. extradited Sonia and Simón Trinidad – a political prisoner now serving a 60-year sentence in the Florence, Colorado supermax prison – and several others.

Many observers believed that Sonia’s trial in Washington DC was unfair, as several non-credible witnesses were presented by the government and the defense was prevented from presenting important evidence of her innocence. Sonia was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to 18 years in prison on July 2, 2007.

This Colombian political prisoner was then sent to FMC Carswell, the highest security prison for women in the United States, located in Fort Worth, Texas. Sonia was released to the custody of the immigration authorities on August 18, 2018, having completed her sentence.

To send Sonia letters of support, donations, etc. write her at the following address:

Anayibe Rojas Valderrama A 216-310-450 Prairieland Detention Center Sunflower Lane Alvarado, TX 76009

Sonia is now incarcerated in the above immigration detention center waiting to return to Colombia. This political prisoner is depending on the Consulate of Colombia to give the U.S. immigration authorities her travel documents so that she can be sent to Colombia and be released. There are concerns that her liberation could be delayed as the Colombian Consulate has dragged its feet in the past on providing travel documents to dissident Colombian citizens in the United States. Sonia’s supporters look forward to seeing her free again on her native soil.

#WashingtonDC #AntiwarMovement #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #Colombia #US #Americas #ChicanoLatino #FARC #PoliticalPrisoners #ColombianConsualte #Sonia #PoliticalRepression #colombianPeaceProcess #AnyaibeRojasValderrama

Sonia is from an impoverished rural family in the Department of Huila, Colombia. Her childhood was one of constant work in the fields and her family could only afford to keep her in school through the second grade. She went to school shoeless and spoke about her “first pair of shoes that I remember wearing, I must have been somewhere around 14 years old.”

This poverty, and rampant state violence in Colombia, led Sonia to take up arms and join the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.) Sonia became a respected member of the FARC, serving in its Southern Block defending rural communities against paramilitary terror and Colombian military aggression.

In 2004 Colombia began to extradite captured FARC members to the United States as part of the joint U.S.-Colombian war against Colombian rebels. The U.S. extradited Sonia and Simón Trinidad – a political prisoner now serving a 60-year sentence in the Florence, Colorado supermax prison – and several others.

Many observers believed that Sonia’s trial in Washington DC was unfair, as several non-credible witnesses were presented by the government and the defense was prevented from presenting important evidence of her innocence. Sonia was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to 18 years in prison on July 2, 2007.

This Colombian political prisoner was then sent to FMC Carswell, the highest security prison for women in the United States, located in Fort Worth, Texas. Sonia was released to the custody of the immigration authorities on August 18, 2018, having completed her sentence.

To send Sonia letters of support, donations, etc. write her at the following address:

Anayibe Rojas Valderrama A 216-310-450 Prairieland Detention Center Sunflower Lane Alvarado, TX 76009

Sonia is now incarcerated in the above immigration detention center waiting to return to Colombia. This political prisoner is depending on the Consulate of Colombia to give the U.S. immigration authorities her travel documents so that she can be sent to Colombia and be released. There are concerns that her liberation could be delayed as the Colombian Consulate has dragged its feet in the past on providing travel documents to dissident Colombian citizens in the United States. Sonia’s supporters look forward to seeing her free again on her native soil.

#WashingtonDC #AntiwarMovement #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #Colombia #US #Americas #ChicanoLatino #FARC #PoliticalPrisoners #ColombianConsualte #Sonia #PoliticalRepression #colombianPeaceProcess #AnyaibeRojasValderrama

Many suspect Duque is a puppet of Uribe and will carry out the plan of undermining the Peace Process.

The murders, claims the Colombian Inspector General, are being coordinated with local and national levels of the armed forces and police of Colombia. Though the defense minister denies this, clearly these killings are not random, they are targeted. It can be assumed that the paramilitaries who carried out the dirty work of Uribe ten years ago feel emboldened by the election of Duque. The Inspector General connects the geography of many of the killings to land disputes stemming from the return of land to campesinos who had it stolen by large, private landowners during the war against the FARC. The transfer of land is one of the central tenets of the signed Peace Accord between the government and the FARC.

In addition to the failure to provide security for social movement leaders, the Colombian government has failed to ensure the safety of FARC leader Jesus Santrich. In April, the U.S. government used the DEA to cook up drug sale allegations against Santrich. They were going to extradite him until he went on hunger strike and the FARC demanded that the Special Judicial Court, created by the Peace Process, override the U.S. So far, this has succeeded in keeping Santrich in Colombia. But, since the Colombian government is not taking the proper steps to push the U.S. to drop their bogus charges, FARC leader Ivan Marquez will not be taking his seat in the Colombian senate. His protest clearly marks a challenge of departing President Santos and the rest of the Colombian government.

In response to the escalating levels of political killings against the left in Colombia, an International Day of Action has been called for August 7, the day Duque takes office.

Various groups including the Observatorio de los Derechos Humanos del Pueblo (People’s Human Rights Observatory), The Coordinadora Americana por los Derechos de los Pueblos (Americas Coordination for the People's Rights), Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ), School of the Americas Watch, and Camino Común (Common Path) are calling for August 7 to be an International Day for Peace in Colombia and against State and Paramilitary Terror. There are also calls that have been issued in Colombia for national mobilizations on that day.

#TucsonAZ #Tucson #AntiwarMovement #Colombia #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #FARC #Repression #Antiracism #PoliticalRepression #Duque

La Organización Socialista del Camino para la Libertad (FRSO) exige la libertad inmediata de el negociador de la paz colombiano Jesús Santrich, quien está bajo arresto por una solicitud de extradición de los E.E.U.U.

Santrich fue un negociador importante en las negociaciones para la paz en La Habana, Cuba. Él es presentemente una figura clave de el nuevo formado, legalmente constituido, partido Fuerza Alternativa Revolucionaria del Común (FARC). El arresto de Santrich amenaza hacer descarrilar, y hasta destruir, los acuerdos de paz colombiano que se ratificaron en el 2016.

Santrich es la víctima de un operativo encubierto de la Administración para el Control de Drogas de E.E.U.U. en colusión con el fiscal del pueblo colombiano, quien es un enemigo conocido de los acuerdos de paz para Colombia. Santrich, el negociador por la paz, fue implicado falsamente en un caso de drogas inventado. Se debería recordar que los E.E.U.U. ha repetidamente usado el ‘sistema de justicia’ para atacar a la izquierda colombiana. Simón Trinidad fue extraditado a los E.E.U.U. en el 2004 por cargos falsos y sigue encarcelado en la prisión Florence Supermax en Colorado en condiciones infrahumanas.

Santrich estaba a punto de asumir su posición en el congreso, junto con unos colegas, cuando fue arrestado. Es claro que este operativo fue diseñado para socavar los acuerdos de paz e impedir la participación de la izquierda en la política colombiana. Este arresto claramente viola los acuerdos de paz y en particular el artículo transitorio 19.º del Acto Legislativo № 1 de 2017, cual determina que la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz (JEP) es la única autoridad competente para encargarse de este tema, ya que ninguna de las acusaciones espurias ocurrieron fuera de Colombia.

Jesús Santrich continúa su huelga de hambre para protestar su arresto y extradición. Su salud se está deteriorando rápidamente.

El gobierno colombiano no ha cumplido sus promesas bajo los acuerdos de paz. Se estima que solo ha cumplido con el 18% de sus obligaciones bajo estos acuerdos importantes. Hay más de 600 presos políticos que se les debía haber liberado en el 2017 conforme a la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz. El gobierno colombiano prometió invertir en programas para la reincorporación social de los ex-guerrilleros, pero estas promesas siguen incumplidas.

La Organización Socialista del Camino para la Libertad exige al gobierno de los E.E.U.U. que pare de interferir en los asuntos internos de Colombia y a cancelar la solicitud de extradición por Santrich. FRSO también exige al gobierno colombiano a liberar a Jesús Santrich y a cumplir sus obligaciones bajo los acuerdos de paz. Estas acciones son necesarias para la paz en América.

#Colombia #FARC #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #JesúsSantrich #Americas

Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) calls for the immediate release of Colombian peace negotiator Jesús Santrich, who is under arrest pursuant to an extradition request from the U.S.

Santrich was an important negotiator in the Colombian peace negotiations in Havana, Cuba. He is currently a key figure in the newly formed, legally constituted, party Fuerza Alternative del Común (FARC). The arrest of Santrich threatens to derail, or even destroy, the Colombian peace agreement that was concluded in 2016.

Santrich is the victim of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency ‘sting’ operation with the collusion of the Colombian Attorney General, who is a known enemy of the Colombian peace agreement. Santrich, the peace negotiator, is falsely implicated in a trumped up drug case. It should be remembered that the U.S. has repeatedly used the ‘justice system’ to attack the Colombian left. Simón Trinidad was extradited to the U.S. in 2004 on false charges and remains in prison at the Florence Supermax in Colorado under inhuman conditions.

Santrich was about to take his congressional seat, along with several of his colleagues, when he was arrested. It is clear that this operation was designed to undermine the peace agreement and impede the left’s participation in Colombian politics. This arrest clearly violates the peace agreement and in particular Transitory Article 19 of the Legislative Act 01 of 2017, which determines that the Colombian Special Peace Jurisdiction (JEP) is the only competent authority to handle this matter, as none of the spurious accusations occurred anywhere but in Colombia.

Jesús Santrich remains on an indefinite hunger strike to protest his arrest and extradition. HIs health is rapidly deteriorating.

The Colombian government has not fulfilled its promises under the peace agreement. It is estimated that it has only complied with 18% of its obligations under this important agreement. There are over 600 political prisoners incarcerated who were due to be released in 2017 pursuant to the Special Peace Jurisdiction. The Colombian government promised to invest in programs for the social reincorporation of former guerrilla fighters, but these promises remain unfulfilled.

Freedom Road Socialist Road Socialist Organization calls on the government of the U.S. to stop interfering in the internal affairs of Colombia and to cancel the extradition request for Santrich. FRSO also calls on the Colombian government to release Jesús Santrich and to comply with its obligations under the peace agreement. These actions are necessary for peace in the Americas.

#UnitedStates #Colombia #FARC #JesúsSantrich #Americas

The activists targeted 140 E 57th Street – a building that is owned by the Colombian government and houses many offices and businesses that have dealings in Colombian affairs. As activists picketed outside, they chanted and derided Juan Manuel Santos, the president of Colombia.

The event was also used as build up for the campaign to free Simon Trinidad (Ricardo Palmera). On Dec. 5, there will be a panel put on by activists in New York about the Colombian peace accords and the case for Simon Trinidad.

Simon Trinidad is a political leader and negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Professor Palmera is currently serving a 60-year sentence in in the U.S. for crimes he hasn’t committed. In fact, he has consistently defended the sovereignty of his country, the right for Colombia’s independence and the liberation of his people. While the FARC has gone through a peace process with the Colombian government, the imprisonment still stands.

The picketers handed out flyers for the event, and demanded justice for Simon Trinidad. Jessica Schwartz, from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression–NY, who helped organize the event states, “Repression doesn't only happen in other countries. Right here in the U.S., revolutionary Colombian leader Simon Trinidad is being held at a supermax prison in Colorado, and the U.S. refuses to release him, even though it is a demand by the revolutionary forces in Colombia. This is a strategic move by the U.S. to keep their boot on the necks of the Colombian people.”

The rally closed out in high spirits with a solidarity video message to the people of Colombia.

For information on the event, Challenges of the Colombian Peace Process and the Case of Simon Trinidad, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2049128295309085/

#NewYorkNY #Colombia #FARC #RicardoPalmera #SimónTrinidad #Americas

Fight Back!: Can you describe what was happening in the week leading up to the launch of the new party? What is the name of the new party?

John Lugo: The days leading up to the public announcement of the new party, the FARC organized its Congress where they decided their political agenda. They chose their name, and elected new leadership, 111 of them, who will choose the candidates to run in the elections. More than 1000 people attended this event, most of them former guerrilla fighters. In the end, they chose to keep the same acronym, FARC, although its meaning changed, now it is Revolutionary Alternative Force of the Common.

Fight Back!: What are the goals of the new party? How does it differ from other political parties?

Lugo: The goals of the new party are to maintain the same ideology that guided them during the armed conflict, and to offer an alternative to the traditional and corrupt politics of the parties who have governed Colombia.

For all the many different concerns of the people, the FARC has an agenda. They cover many important topics, things such as the ownership of the land for farmers and the mines for workers, but above all else, peace with social justice. It is a new party, in contrast to the oligarchical political parties of the rich, which is directed by the people, especially those people who supported the armed insurgency. The new FARC are close to the people they want to represent, those who have suffered the attacks by Colombia’s military machine – the same Colombian military that defends the interests of U.S. imperialism.

Fight Back!: Now that the FARC-EP agreed to stop waging armed struggle, what protections or guarantees are there? Will right-wing death squads still kill political activists, trade unionists and teachers? Will the FARC and other activists be allowed to participate in elections, or organize for social change and revolution without fear of assassinations and death?

Lugo: I believe that the protection will depend on themselves. Of their ability to continue working in groups and with communities. There is an agreement with the government that the bodyguards for the FARC leadership will be former guerrilla soldiers trained by the country’s police, although this does not guarantee anything. The history of previous peace treaties is that the revolutionaries end up with hundreds assassinated and the peace process fails. Today, we have already heard of dozens of former guerrilla fighters who have been assassinated. At the same time, peasants, indigenous people and social leaders have fallen too. The reality is that the right-wing paramilitary groups are still active and now occupy lands previously occupied by the FARC. In my opinion, we will have to wait about a year, to see how this fundamental issue evolves and we must prevent further spillage of blood.

Fight Back!: What can we do in the U.S. to show our solidarity with the peace process in Colombia?

Lugo: Our work in the U.S. is to continue demanding the recognition of and support for the Colombian peace treaty. Trump has ignored it and remained silent. We need different voices in the Congress, especially the Senate, to make their voices public in supporting peace. It is important to continue the work to release from U.S. prisons both FARC members Simon Trinidad and Comrade Sonia based on how much they are needed in Colombia. It is not fair for them to continue being prisoners, held as trophies in a war that has come to an end.

#Colombia #FARC #Americas

It is important to know that the Colombian peace agreement was carefully negotiated over a four-year period and though momentum may be slowed, a return to war seems unlikely. Another fact is that it is an agreement with standing in international law and cannot simply be reversed or changed.

For their part, the FARC are willing to make it work, so the most powerful liberation movement in Latin America is returning to the table to find solutions to problems. The FARC wants to end 52 years of war, end the terror of right-wing death squads, end the displacement, poverty and misery for farmers and workers, and end the $10 billion U.S. military intervention in their country. The FARC want a country where Chiquita Banana is not funding, arming and directing death squads and where Coca-Cola and Drummond Coal do not conspire and pay for the assassination of union leaders.

During negotiations the FARC questioned the wisdom of a referendum, and desired instead huge assemblies across the country. FARC proposed a process of participatory democracy with debates about what peace with justice should look like. A process where social movements, political parties, churches, unions, universities, schools, business associations and community groups propose and discuss suggestions.

Instead President Santos offered an up or down vote. So the vote no groups simply campaigned against their former battlefield enemy, emphasizing the negative, lying about facts, and claiming topics that are not even in the peace agreement. They also threatened and intimidated people campaigning for a yes vote. That is how they won, just barely.

The FARC know that Colombians are cynical about elections where one faction of politicians loyal to one rich family or another trade places every few years. Colombian turnout for elections is low, as was true for the failed peace referendum, with only 37% voting. Consider too that one third of the politicians in the Colombian Congress are controlled by narco-traffickers and you can understand how the peace process is challenging vested interests.

In terms of the U.S. role in the Colombian peace process, the U.S. government appointed a special envoy and should now take steps to guarantee success. The European Union recently took the FARC off the terrorist list with Secretary of State John Kerry looking on and the U.S. should do the same. It shows good will and confidence in Colombian peace.

However, the most pressing matter is to free Simon Trinidad, also known as Ricardo Palmera. President Obama should free Simon Trinidad from the Florence Supermax prison in Colorado.

Trinidad is one of the FARC's most talented leaders and probably has the best understanding of how to form a political party and run elections. Freeing Trinidad and having him tour Colombia, campaigning and speaking to crowds of supporters and the curious would advance the peace process tremendously. By keeping Trinidad in a U.S. prison, the Obama administration holds peace back and encouraged the belligerent right wingers who fear contested elections.

If the Obama administration freed Simon Trinidad, it would be a real gesture of peace from the U.S. towards the people of Colombia. Trinidad is one of the few survivors of the UP (Patriotic Union), the leftist party that ran for office in the 1980s and 1990s, but suffered almost 5000 assassinations by government death squads. That was why Trinidad gave up his life as a professor and politician and joined the FARC at the age of 37. Now, Trinidad can help the FARC and people’s movements navigate how to make change in a new Colombia.

Tell President Obama to help secure the peace in Colombia. Free Simon Trinidad!

#GrandRapidsMI #AntiwarMovement #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #FARC #SimónTrinidad #Americas

Florence, CO – El lunes 21 de septiembre, en las afueras de la Penitenciaria Federal de máxima seguridad, localizada en el pequeño pueblo de Florence, Colorado, se realizó una manifestación de suma importancia para la paz y la justicia en América Latina. El Comité Nacional para la liberación de Simón Trinidad, en solidaridad con el proceso de paz que se está llevando a cabo entre las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) y el gobierno Colombiano, organizó una movilización para exigir la liberación inmediata de Simón Trinidad, prisionero político encarcelado en dicha prisión.

Alrededor de 35 activistas provenientes de 9 ciudades de alrededor de todo el país resaltaron el mensaje y el propósito del evento con impresionantes pancartas que leían “Libertad para Simón Trinidad” y “Paz para Colombia”. Incorporadas a la campaña estuvieron organizaciones tales como Estudiantes por una Sociedad Democrática (SDS por sus siglas en ingles), El Frente de Lucha de Denver, El Comité Contra la Guerra de Utah, Alianza por la Justicia Global de Tucson entre otras.

Liliana Castrillón, activista Colombiana-Americana dijo “Estoy aquí para apoyar el proceso de paz en Colombia, y a la vez denunciar las practicas de aislamiento y tortura que el sistema carcelario de EE.UU ejerce sobre Simón Trinidad.

Simón Trinidad, cuyo verdadero nombre es Ricardo Palmera, es miembro de las FARC, grupo guerrillero que lleva más de 50 años en una guerra civil luchando por la justicia social del pueblo colombiano. En el 2004, mientras lideraba negociaciones de paz en Ecuador, Simón fue capturado y posteriormente extraditado a los EE.UU. Con el avance de las negociaciones de paz, las FARC exigen la liberación de Simón Trinidad para asistir en la finalización de las negociaciones.

“Estamos aquí para informarle al presidente Obama que Simón Trinidad es un elemento clave para el proceso de paz en Colombia. Simón Trinidad lleva 11 años como prisionero en aislamiento aquí en los EE.UU, su presencia es necesaria en la mesa de diálogo para finalizar las negociaciones de paz” dijo Mark Burton, abogado que representa a Simón Trinidad en los EE.UU.

Con la presencia de la cadena de noticias colombiana RCN, el reportaje y las entrevistas se realizaron en medio de cantos como “Libertad, Libertad, para Simón Trinidad”

Como parte del Comité Nacional para la Liberación de Simón trinidad, Tom Burke dijo “La guerra de EE.UU en Colombia ha sido un fracaso y nosotros debemos apoyar al pueblo de Colombia en su lucha por la paz. Nuestro próximo paso seguramente nos llevará a la casa blanca, para demandar la liberación de Simón Trinidad”.

#FlorenceCO #InJusticeSystem #Colombia #FARC #RicardoPalmera #PoliticalPrisoners #SimónTrinidad #Americas

Peace Delegation announces pause in peace talks.

From the beginning of the peace process with the government of Colombia in Havana, our primary concern has been to open the doors to people's participation for the construction of a democratic peace agreement with social justice.

Apropos of this, and because of the importance for the country and for the future of our country of the issue of the resolution of the social and armed conflict, starting from the establishment of social justice, democracy and sovereignty, in a responsible and wellconsidered way, the FARC-EP proposed convening a National Constituent Assembly so that the sovereign people can decide on the crucial issues of political, economic and social development of all Colombians.

We also said that the Constituent Assembly, convened under the auspices of a large national political agreement would be the way to achieve a real peace treaty, just and binding, which could melt our reconciliation, govern the fate of the nation and lead it towards the summits of real democracy.

In contrast, the government yesterday announced to the country its decision to appeal to the referendum as a mechanism for countersignature, without mentioning at all the procedures of democratic construction which would endorse it.

Under these new circumstances, at a moment in which from all the corners of Colombia you can hear the outcry of unsatisfied people, protesting against the consequences of a disastrous economic policy, behind the back of the interests of the great majority of citizens and which requires their participation in the decision-making of major national issues, the Peace Delegation of the FARC-EP has decided to pause the discussion of the Table, to focus exclusively on the analysis of the government's proposal, without detriment to the internal consultation we have to carry out as organization.

We will use this time also to listen to points-of-views, which will surely arise among the people in the fervor of political and social struggle that makes Colombia shudder today.

Colombia's peace is everybody's business.

PEACE DELEGATION FARC-EP

#Colombia #Americas #FARC #RevolutionaryArmedForcesOfColombia #PeaceNegotiations

*A belligerent force is defined as a state or entity engaged in war, a status recognized by international law. In report after report, it is not the FARC-EP, but state military and paramilitaries that have been named as by far the most egregious perpetrators of human rights violations in Colombia.

Is the FARC-EP (Really) a Terrorist Organization?

By James Brittain

In light of the recent activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) throughout sectors of the social justice and peace movement within the United States, it is increasingly apparent that even those interested in solidarity with sociopolitical organizations struggling with issues of marginalization and equity are viewed as a domestic threat or, at the very least, a target of national significance. For example, longtime peace and justice activists have been subpoenaed by the FBI as a result of their work, which critiques the economic and militaristic involvement of their government and military in Colombia.

In many respects, prominent state officials (and popular media outlets) have succeeded in demonizing the struggle of impoverished peasants, marginalized workers, and political dissidents in this Latin American country as terroristic (and then attempt to link international solidarity as acts of assisting terrorism), especially those belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP). Yet what all these mechanisms fail to exhibit (or understand) is that the resistance movement in Colombia is a national struggle of emancipation that structurally exists to change the societal conditions within its own country’s borders.

To try and classify the FARC-EP as a threat to the United States is preposterous due to the fact that the insurgency has been engaged in a half-century of struggle that has solely remained in the confines of Colombian territory and has been directed at the dominant class therein. Garry Leech, editor of Colombia Journal, has suggested that “while there is little doubt regarding the global reach of terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda, there is no evidence that the FARC is anything but one of the armed actors in Colombia’s long and tragic domestic conflict” (see Killing Peace: Colombia’s Conflict and the Failure of U.S. Intervention. New York, NY: Information Network of the Americas, 2002, p.86). Even conservative analysts like Peter Chalk have come to recognize that “the FARC-EP cannot be considered an international terrorist organization akin to al-Qaeda, for it does not demonstrate the intent nor desire to engage in a transnational terrorist campaign against antagonists” (see Trends in Terrorism: Threats to the United States and the Future of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Washington, DC: Rand, 2006. p.11n.1).

The FARC-EP “are subnational actors that direct their political violence against domestic operations” (Michael Kenney. From Pablo to Osama: Trafficking and Terrorist Networks, Government Bureaucracies, and Competitive Adaptation. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2007. p. 251 n.37). Noting this is important, considering that external forces beyond Colombia’s borders have been systematically involved in military operations against the FARC-EP, yet the insurgency has sustained a principle of self-determination based on the need for Colombians to structurally change the inequitable conditions in their country and not target other nations in the periphery (even when those nations have targeted the guerrillas).

In light of such realities, how can (or why is) the FARC-EP then perceived to be a threat to any government outside Colombia? Coletta A. Youngers, with the Washington Office on Latin America, responded to this question by describing how “the U.S. government now views the Latin American region almost exclusively through the counterterrorist lens, though the region poses no serious national security threat to the United States … little evidence has been put forward to substantiate such claims, and whatever activity is taking place there appears to be minimal” (“Dangerous Consequences: The U.S. “War on Drugs” in Latin America” in Latin America after Neoliberalism: Turning the Tide in the 21st Century, E. Hershberg and F. Rosen (eds.). New York, NY: The New Press, 2006, p.76). While she does not trivialize their revolutionary tactics, Youngers does posit that the FARC-EP cannot be correctly framed in the concept and rhetoric of global terrorism. Rather she clarifies how the insurgency is not a direct threat to the governance of administrations in the United States, Canada, the European Union, or any other foreign nation-state because FARC-EP activities “are targeted inward, not outward”; hence, “applying the terrorism concept to these groups negates their political projects” (Youngers, 76-77).

All this begs the question as to why so many state officials perpetuate the FARC-EP as a threat to the interests of the US, Canada, and the EU. The answer lies in the fact that the insurgency poses a potential harm not to the national security of citizens, but rather to the geopolitical interests of the aforementioned states and their economic allies. The FARC-EP proposes a socialized economy based on public ownership, which counters the (failed) neoliberal development strategies of contemporary capital. Former Colombian Army Colonel Carlos Velasquez, a U.S. security–not an NGO do-gooder–put it to me more succinctly in a conversation last year: “Of course the FARC haven’t lost their ideology. That’s why they’re still dangerous” (quoted in Adam Isacson. 2005. “ The End of the FARC's “Retreat”?”)

Hence, it is their praxis that makes the FARC-EP a threat: the insurgency does not subscribe to apolitical acts of violence to instill fear in the lives of the general masses, but rather structural targets–state forces and corporate infrastructure – in its quest to radically alter Colombian society for the betterment of the general population, not the continuity of the minority in power.

Contrary to dominant media outlets, numerous countries around the world have refused to recognize the FARC-EP as an international terrorist organization, as they see the struggle for peace with social justice in Colombia as an internal necessity (see ANNCOL. 2004. “ Duro revés para Uribe Vélez en la cita Americana de Defensa”). Dating back to 2004, numerous Latin American governments opposed the United States’ call for a multinational defense initiative to combat the FARC-EP (see Kintto Lucas. 2004. “ Defense Ministers Reject Intervention in Colombia”). In recent years numerous researchers, scholars, and politicians have supported the call for the FARC-EP to be declared a legitimate force fighting against a corrupt Colombian state (Alberto Cruz. 2008. “ Ante-room to Peace: Recognizing the FARC as Belligerents”; Bill Weinburg. 2008. “ FARC: “terrorists” or “belligerents”?”; Wolf, Paul. 2008. “ Bolivar’s Sword: Venezuela’s Recognition of the Colombian Insurgency”).

Ecuador is an example of this: in January of 2008, Maria Isabel Salvador, who was then Foreign Minister, argued that the FARC-EP should not be depicted as a terrorist organization. This sentiment was backed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who announced that the FARC-EP are far from a terrorist force but rather are a real army, which occupies Colombian territory and shares in a Bolivarian vision for Latin America (Xinhua. 2008. “ Ecuador Designates Colombian Rebels as ‘Irregulars’.”). Mexican deputy Ricardo Cantu Garza, too, promoted the recognition of the FARC-EP as a belligerent force legitimately fighting against a corrupt and unequal sociopolitical system (Mathaba. 2008. “ Mexico Deputy Supports Chavez’ Proposal about the FARC and ELN”). Even prominent US attorney Paul Wolf argued:

“The FARC-EP are a belligerent army of national liberation, as evidenced by their sustained military campaign and sovereignty over a large part of Colombian territory, and their conduct of hostilities by organized troops kept under military discipline and complying with the laws and customs of war, at least to the same extent as other parties to the conflict. Members of the FARC-EP are therefore entitled to the rights of belligerents under international law … there is no rule of international law prohibiting revolution, and, if a revolution succeeds, there is nothing in international law prohibiting the acceptance of the outcome, even though it was achieved by force.” (Paul Wolf. 2008. “ FARC Not a Terrorist Group”).

In short, administrations from Mexico, Ecuador, and Venezuela have opted to use language of belligerent or irregular forces to more accurately depict the FARC-EP’s domestic and geo-political stance. From Copenhagen to Caracas, numerous state officials have rejected claims and/or renounced the FARC-EP to be a terrorist organization and have pushed others to do the same so a peace process can begin to resolve five decades of civil war (Helen Pidd. 2007. “ T-shirt Sellers not Guilty in Terrorism Case”; Marta Harnecker, Understanding the Venezuelan Revolution: Hugo Chávez Talks to Marta Harnecker. New York, NY: Monthly Review Press, 2005). Characterizations depicting the FARC-EP as a foreign terrorist organization must be reexamined and any actors in solidarity with this organization should not be the subject of slander, detention, threats, or torture for simply believing otherwise.

James Brittain is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. His book, Revolutionary Social Change in Colombia: The Origin and Direction of the FARC-EP, was published by Pluto Press, 2010. More info: www.plutobooks.com. Also available through May Day Books, Minneapolis. James Petras states that in his book Brittain asks “a fundamental question for all democratic political practioners: ‘How does one pursue equitable social policies and the defense of human rights under a terrorist state aligned with death squads and financed and advised by a foreign power, which has a public policy of physically eliminating their adversaries?’”

#US #AntiwarMovement #Colombia #FARC #InternationalSolidarity #Americas

Washington, D.C. – El revolucionario colombiano Ricardo Palmera (Simón Trinidad),obtuvo otra importante victoria contra la administración de George Bush y la política intervencionista y guerrerista de Estados Unidos (EE.UU), en la Corte Federal del Distrito de Columbia en la ciudad de Washington D.C..El juez Royce Lamberth fue forzado a declarar el juicio como nulo y viciado. Los fiscales federales de EE.UU. han rehusado comentar al respecto sobre su derrota en el juicio en que acusaban al professor Ricardo Palmera y a las FARC de tráficantes de estupefacientes (drogas)..La nulidad del juicio fue producto de un jurado que no se puso de acuerdo después de cinco semanas de deliberaciones, siete de los doce jurados querían un veredicto de “no culpable”. Esto es una gran victoria y muy significativa para el combatiente colombiano por la libertad, la justicia social y la paz.Y a su vez, destruye la tentativa del gobierno de los EE.UU. de pintar a las FARC como tráficantes de drogas y terroristas.

Sin embargo, el jefe de los fiscales McNell anunció que volverá a enjuiciar a Palmera presentando los mismos cargos. Además, hizo alardes de los suficientes recursos, dinero y personal a su disposición para este nuevo e irritante juicio en contra del reconocido revolucionario colombiano.

Ricardo Palmera (Simón Trinidad) ingresó a las FARC hace 20 años. Esto después de que la represión, la tortura y el asesinato de activistas políticos, lo llevaron a confirmar que la vía política pacífica para la lucha democrática estaba cerrada en Colombia. Palmera dio un testimonio a la corte y al jurado del porqué se decidió a ingresar a las FARC y tomar las armas. “Esto fue hecho pensando en Colombia. Mi generación nunca ha sabido que es la paz en Colombia. Y continuó,diciendo : “Esa decisión que él tomó le rompió el corazón pues estuvo mirando como partía su familia del país, dejando su casa y arriesgando su vida”. Palmera expresó, profundizó y resumió en pocas frases esa decisión de hace 20 años. “No podía tener el coraje de correr e irme fuera del país dejando a todos los muertos que asesinaron y respaldaron nuestra lucha política. Tuve que escoger entre mi familia y el deseo de luchar por un cambio real en Colombia”.

Repetidamente, la fiscalía trato de encontrar nexos entre las FARC y los traficantes de drogas, en este afán la fiscalía llegó a ir hasta más allá de los límites de la verdad. Y, ahora hablando de los testigos presentados por la fiscalía, el abogado defensor de Palmera, Robert (Bob) Tucker, quién le dijó al jurado.” Esta gente fue intimidada para dar su testimonio y su testimio ha sido bien absurdo, de hecho algunas de las evidencias están totalmente, totalmente son insultantes”..

Después de ser preguntado varias veces de que debía admitir los nexus de su organización las FARC con las mafias de la cocaína. El professor Palmera habló.del problema de la cocaína en Colombia, y dijó :” los campesinos que cultivan la hoja de coca tienen un gran problema.. Este es un problema serio que afecta enteramente a toda la nación tanto en lo económico, social, político como a las relaciones internacionales. Los campesinos pobres que cultivan la hoja de coca la miran como si fuera un espejo cuya producción los liberará de la miseria”.

También, Palmera testificó que durante los 20 años que ha estado en las FARC nunca conoció ni siquiera un laboratorio de cocaine controlado por su organización. De igual manera, que jamás vió o escuchó a ningún ser humano que hubiera motivado a otro ser humano para cultivar drogas, y que él nunca intercambió drogas por dinero. Finalmente, después de cinco días de deliberaciones el jurado le informó al juez Lamberth que no podían ponerse de acuerdo sobre el veredicto. Inmediatamente, el juez mencionado declaró (mistrial) el juicio como nulo y viciado.

Tom Burke, portavoz del Comité Nacional para la Libertad de Ricardo Palmera (CNLRP) dijó : “ Que felicidad tan grande, ver a Ricardo Palmera (Simón Trinidad) ganarle al imperio de EE.UU. otra vez”.No se puede negar que la administración de Bush está perdiendo la guerra en Iraq y en Colombia. Ya no puede ni derrotar a un revolucionario solo con todo lleno de adversidades contra él. Burke siguió. “ Este es un juicio político que no ha debido tener lugar en los EE.UU.. El professor Ricardo Palmera es un prisionero de guerra, de la guerra sucia que los EE.UU está peleando en Colombia para beneficio de las grandes corporaciones como Occidental, Drummond, Monsanto, Chiquita y otras.

Por más de tres años el professor Ricardo Palmera ha sido mantenido en una celda de confinamiento solitario bajo el regimen de medidas especiales administrativas-(Special Administrative Measures).Es tiempo de que esto se acabe y sea puesto en libertad. Exigimos que el professor Palmera sea puesto inmediatamente en libertad.

#WashingtonDC #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #FARC #NationalCommitteeToFreeRicardoPalmera #PoliticalPrisoners #JudgeRoyceLamberth

Washington, D.C. – Un Juez de Estados Unidos puso un aviso en periódicos de Colombia la ultima semana de agosto, “ordenando” a las FARC – las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, presentarse en su corte en Washington D.C. Esto se suma a una lista de extraños procedimientos relacionados con la extradición, encarcelamiento y juicio de Ricardo Palmera, un importante líder de las FARC. El Juez de Distrito de Estado Unidos Thomas Hogan ridículamente afirma que miembros de las FARC deben salir de su patria y venir a los Estados Unidos para comparecer los cargos de, “secuestrar rehenes en violación de leyes norte americanas.”

Ricardo Palmera fue extraditado de Colombia y encarcelado bajo los mismos cargos. Expertos legales en Colombia y alrededor del mundo consideran que la extradición de Palmera por el gobierno de los Estados Unidos viola la soberanía de Colombia y lo ven como secuestro.

Las FARC, con más de 27,000 rebeldes armados, es la más grande y fuerte insurgencia en Latino América. Por 40 años las FARC han combatido al estado de Colombia en una guerra civil. Con gran apoyo del pueblo, las FARC gobiernan de facto en casi 40% de Colombia. Las FARC combaten la guerra del pueblo al estilo vietnamita, contra el corrupto narco-gobierno del presidente Álvaro Uribe. Presidente Uribe, anteriormente conectado a un cartel traficante de droga, así identificado por Inteligencia Norte Americana (D.E.A), ahora él supervisa la “guerra a las drogas” por el gobierno de los Estados Unidos en Colombia. El Presidente Uribe firmó las órdenes para enviar a Ricardo Palmera a los Estados Unidos bajo cargos de drogas y secuestro.

Las FARC retienen a tres mercenarios contratistas EEUU: Tom Howes, Marc Gonsalves y Keith Stansell. El gobierno de EEUU mantiene que estas detenciones son secuestros. Un documento del Comité Nacional para la Libertad de Ricardo Palmera clarifica la situación: “Es absurdo que el gobierno de EEUU haya extraditado al Sr. Palmera basado en tener rehenes y facilitar apoyo material a terroristas. Los detalles del cargo envuelve a mercenarios contratados por EEUU, su avión fue derribado sobre territorio de las FARC. Provocando un intercambio de fuego donde murieron, un mercenario norte americano y un sargento Colombiano, mientras tres mercenarios estadounidenses fueron capturados. El Departamento de Justicia de EEUU, esta tratando de sostener que esta pequeña pelea en la guerra civil de Colombia suma al secuestro, y que la larga guerra manejada por guerrillas es ahora “Acción Terrorista!”. Esto hace burla a la Ley Internacional, mientras que Bush atenta imponer la soberanía de EEUU sobre Colombia.

Mientras la fuerza militar de EEUU se involucra mas en la guerra en Colombia, el potencial por estos casos va a subir. El Plan Colombia gasta sobre 4 billones de dólares proveniente de impuestos, dinero usado para regar químicos masivamente sobre plantaciones de campesinos pobres, y triplicar el tamaño militar de Colombia. Aunque análisis dice que el Plan Colombia es un fracaso, Bush y el Congreso aumentaron gastos militares a Colombia en el 2005, y subieron el numero de asesores militares a 800, mas 600 contratistas mercenarios. Mientras asesores militares de EEUU van a batallar junto a las tropas del gobierno colombiano, las posibilidades de captura o muerte de asesores y mercenarios contratistas se ven cercanas.

La próxima conferencia del estatus de Palmera frente al Juez de Distrito de EEUU Thomas Hogan es el 4 de octubre.

#WashingtonDC #News #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #FARC #PoliticalPrisoners #juezDeDistritoDeEEUUThomasHogan

Ricardo Palmera was a peace negotiator for Colombia’s rebels – the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. He was kidnapped in Ecuador and extradited to the United States where he sits in solitary confinement.

Palmera’s first trial ended with a hung jury. Afterwards, presiding Judge Hogan had to recuse himself from the case, when the it came to light that Hogan was secretly colluding with the prosecution. The upcoming trial will be presided over by Reagan appointee, Judge Royce C. Lambert.

“The U.S. government has no right to proceed with this case,” says Tom Burke of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera. “He has done nothing wrong. Palmera has spent his entire life fighting for social justice and the liberation of the Colombian people, who live under a U.S.-backed death squad government.”

Mick Kelly, also of the National Committee, urges all progressive people to join the June 4 protest, stating , “The Bush administration is trying to criminalize the fight for justice and freedom. Everyone should keep their eyes on this trial. There are reports that Palmera will not be allowed any witnesses on his behalf and that the prosecution will try to limit what Palmera can talk about. The only fair trial is no trial – and we need to demand Professor Palmera’s immediate release.”

Free Ricardo Palmera!

Picket line and press conference for Ricardo Palmera’s freedom!

June 4, 2007; 8:30 a.m. picket line, 9:00 a.m. press conference

Federal Court Building (333 Constitution Ave. NW)

Washington, D.C.

#WashingtonDC #News #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #FARC #NationalCommitteeToFreeRicardoPalmera #PoliticalPrisoners #JudgeHogan

Washington D.C. – Colombian revolutionary Ricardo Palmera is on trial for a second time under orders from the Bush Administration. The National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera is calling for a protest to demand his immediate release on June 18th at the D.C. Federal Court Building. Professor Palmera’s supporters will then pack the courtroom.

Ricardo Palmera is a peace negotiator for Colombia’s rebels – the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. He was kidnapped in Ecuador and extradited to the United States where he sits in solitary confinement.

Palmera’s first trial ended with a hung jury. Afterwards, presiding Judge Hogan had to step down or recuse himself from the case. Judge Hogan was caught colluding with U.S. Prosecutor Ken Kohl. Judge Royce Lambert, a Ronald Reagan appointee, is Hogan’s replacement on the bench.

“The U.S. government has no right to put Ricardo Palmera on trial, let alone keep trying him until they get a guilty verdict,” says Tom Burke of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera. “Palmera is a good man who has done nothing wrong. Palmera spends all his energy fighting for social justice and the liberation of the Colombian people, who live under a U.S.-backed death squad government. President Bush and President Uribe are desperate because of growing public concern in both countries about lying, cheating, and paramilitary death squad murders.”

Angela Denio, also of the National Committee, urges all progressive people to join the June 18th protest, stating, “The Bush administration and the increasingly isolated President Uribe are criminalizing the fight for freedom and justice. People around the world are watching the travesty of Palmera’s trial. Palmera is not allowed witnesses, and the Judge and Prosecutor are even trying to limit what Palmera can say. The only fair trial is no trial – we demand Professor Palmera’s immediate release.”

Free Ricardo Palmera!

Picket line and press conference for Ricardo Palmera’s freedom!

Monday, June 18th, 2007

8:30 a.m. picket line, 9:00 a.m. press conference

Federal Court Building (333 Constitution Ave. NW)

Washington, D.C.

National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera

For more info contact Tom Burke at 773-844-3612 or Mick Kelly at 612-715-3280.

#UnitedStates #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #FARC #NationalCommitteeToFreeRicardoPalmera #Statement #PoliticalPrisoners