Señor
OSCAR PRIETO
Defensor del pueblo
San Vicente Del Caguán

Cordial saludo

“Objetamos participar de las guerras y a reproducir las prácticas de una sociedad militarista”

De la manera más atenta y esperanzadora ponemos en su conocimiento los siguientes hechos y consideraciones.

Los jóvenes Caqueteños venimos afrontando una difícil situación de vulneración de nuestros derechos, postulados de objeción por conciencia, de no violencia y antimilitarismo lo cual queremos poner en su conocimiento.

An important legal victory for conscientious objectors in Colombia

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared in its Opinion No 8/2008 (Colombia) the practice of recruitment in the form of raids (batidas), and the recruitment of conscientious objectors a form of "arbitrary detention". This is an important legal victory for conscientious objectors in Colombia, although the opinions of the Working Group are legally non-binding.

Barrancabermeja is a geostrategically important city, the capital of Magdalena Medio, a region with immense natural resources, petrol, mines and the river Magdalena. Along with macroprojects such as African palm, rubber and cocoa, great tracts of lands are used for illegal cultivation making this a territory disputed by narcotraffic mafias, landowners, and national and multinational big business. For years, they have been trying to gain possession of the land, sowing terror and death through the action of paramilitary groups.

Death threats against WRI affiliate Red Juvenil after successful 'Antimili Sonoro XIV'

It does not happen often that we have good news to report from Colombia, but this month we do (among quite a bit of bad news - but the good news first). Two months ago, two Colombian conscientious objectors who had been illegally recruited in January and February have been released from the military, albeit without any acknowledgement of the right to conscientious objection.

Diego Alexander Pulgarin was recruited on 5 January in the northern bus terminal of Medellin.